David Lammy has said he did not know all the details of a prisoner’s mistaken release when repeatedly asked.
The justice secretary and deputy prime minister was heavily criticised for not revealing on Wednesday that registered Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif had been released in error last week.
The Conservatives used Mr Lammy’s appearance at Prime Minister’s Questions to ask – five times – if another prisoner had been released after migrant sex offender Hadush Kebatu was released by mistake on 24 October instead of being taken to an immigration removal centre.
Mr Lammy gave an irate reply but refused to say he knew anything.
A day later, Mr Lammy has defended his decision not to reveal that he knew about the incident, saying he did not know all the details and did not want to mislead the public.
“I did not have all of the details,” he said.
“That detail was actually released just later after I had finished at Prime Minister’s Questions.
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“I took the judgment that it is important when updating the House and the country about serious matters like this, that you have all of the details.
“I was not equipped with all of the detail, and the danger is that you end up misleading the House and the general public.
“So that is the judgment I took. I think it’s the right judgment.”
The justice secretary said he first found out about Kaddour-Cherif’s release on Wednesday morning, and spent the hours before PMQs in the Ministry of Justice, “learning from officials” and preparing for his first time filling in for Sir Keir Starmer.
However, questions have been raised about the timeline because Mr Lammy said Kaddour-Cherif was released “before I introduced those checks”.
On 27 October, he said “the strongest release checks that have ever been in place” were being introduced in reaction to Kebatu’s accidental release.
“They will apply to every release form custody and are effective immediately,” he said.
But Kaddour-Cherif was released on 29 October, two days later.
Prison authorities then did not alert the Metropolitan Police until Monday and the prisoner is still on the run.
Another prisoner, Billy Smith, was also released by mistake on Tuesday but handed himself in on Thursday after it emerged a couple of hours after PMQs.
Sky News has asked the Ministry of Justice for clarification.
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