David Lammy Lets Rip In Furious Tirade Against Tory 'Brass Neck' Amid Prison Release Row

David Lammy brutally pointed out just how many prisoners had been accidental released under the Tories’ watch on Monday night in a bust-up with Robert Jenrick.

The justice secretary and deputy PM was making a statement in the Commons following the jaw-dropping revelation that the migrant sex offender, Hadush Kebatu, was accidentally released from prison on Friday.

He was meant to be sent to an immigration detention centre.

While Kebatu was re-arrested on Sunday and is set to be deported, his case is a particularly high-profile one because it had triggered the anti-migrant protests in Epping earlier this year.

Kebatu was serving a 12-month sentence in HMP Chelmsford for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, and a woman, while living at an asylum hotel in Epping.

His release has raised questions over the government’s ability to cope with both the justice system and delivering on its promise to cut down on asylum hotels.

Lammy told the Commons human error was responsible, and that an independent investigation led by Dame Lynne Owens will “fully establish the facts”.

But shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick called it a “national embarrassment” – so Lammy hit back. 

He began by reminding the opposition benches of exactly what happened to the prison system under the Tories.

“Self-harm went up in our prisons,” he said. “Drug abuse went up in our prisons, and “prison officer numbers were cut under his watch and he comes here and has the brass neck – has the brass neck – to give the impression that this started just 14 months ago.”

He pointed out that “sexual predator” William Fernandez was “released in error” in March 2021 – and raped a 16-year-old and sexually assault another young woman when he was released.

Lammy pointedly asked: “Was there an independent investigation? No. Not from their time.”

He continued to list further accidental releases of prisoners under the Tories watch, pointing out there was no subsequent to probe in those cases.

He then noted: “I’ve asked Lynne Owens to look at this, I’ve asked if she can do it in eight weeks, of course we will come back to the House when that is done.”

Lammy insisted that everything around this case will be subject to that review.

The justice secretary also acknowledged the increase in mistaken releases, but described them as a “symptom” of the system Labour inherited from the Tories.

Meanwhile, the government is looking at new places to house asylum seekers, and allegedly moving at least 900 migrants into disused military barracks later this year.