Government minister says there are 'questions to answer' over Daniel Abed Khalife's prison escape
07.09.2023 - 10:31
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A senior minister admits there are questions to answer over the escape of a prisoner which has sparked a nationwide manhunt. There was chaos at airports, including Manchester, yesterday (September 6) as extra passport checks were conducted following Daniel Abed Khalife's run for freedom.
The 21-year-old went missing from HMP Wandsworth at 8am on Wednesday while wearing his cook's uniform. It's feared he may try to flee the country.
Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan accepts the public will be concerned by Khalife's escape, but insists such incidents are incredibly rare. She told LBC: “I’ve spoken to the Justice Secretary, I know that the investigation is taking place.
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“I think there are a lot of questions to answer here. But the top priority obviously needs to be catching him as well.”
Ms Donelan batted away questions about a link between the escape and the UK’s over-stretched prison system. “We’ve always said that the prison estate needs an upgrade and we need to expand the capacity," she said.
“But I don’t think that we should draw a parallel between the two things here. It is extremely rare for a prisoner to escape.
“We shouldn’t politicise the topic, really. We should look at exactly what has happened and then how can we deal with that to ensure it doesn’t happen again."
She later told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “This is not an epidemic or anything of that nature. This is an isolated incident.”
It has been reported that Khalife escaped from a prison kitchen by clinging to a delivery van. HMP Wandsworth, where he was held, is a category B prison - meaning it has the second-highest level of security.
Khalife, who was