Overview
- Met Police confirmed a manhunt for a 24-year-old Algerian national wrongly freed from HMP Wandsworth on 29 October, with officers told only on Tuesday.
- At PMQs, James Cartlidge repeatedly asked David Lammy to confirm whether any other asylum-seeking offenders had been released in error, a question Lammy did not answer directly.
- The Ministry of Justice said a spike in mistaken releases partly stemmed from a legal implementation error in the early‑release program that has since been fixed, with affected offenders rearrested.
- Lammy said he had introduced the toughest checks ever used in the prison system and reiterated an apology for the anxiety caused during Hadush Kebatu’s time at large.
- Lammy’s debut leading PMQs also drew attention after he began without a Remembrance poppy before being handed one in the chamber, as he became the first Black politician to lead the session.