PMQs: Poppy Mayhem and Miscounted Questions
With both Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch absent, this week’s Prime Minister’s Questions became unusually turbulent. The session on 5 November took place while Prime Minister Keir Starmer was attending the COP30 climate summit in Brazil, leaving deputies to take the lead.
Deputy Stand-ins at the Dispatch Box
Representing Labour, Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary David Lammy stepped up, making history as the first Black politician to answer PMQs on behalf of the government. Across the chamber, the Conservatives were represented by the relatively lesser-known Shadow Defence Secretary James Cartlidge.
Asylum Questions Dominate the Exchange
Cartlidge focused all six of his questions on asylum policy. His opening remarks drew attention to the controversy surrounding a hotel in Epping and the recent release error involving Hadush Kebatu.
The Epping Hotel Case
Hadush Kebatu, an Ethiopian migrant who arrived in the UK by small boat in June, had been placed in temporary accommodation at the Bell Hotel in Epping. In July, he was arrested and charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl. The incident provoked anti-immigration protests and led the local council to pursue legal action to stop the hotel’s use for housing asylum seekers.
By September, Kebatu had received a 12-month prison sentence. However, on 24 October, he was mistakenly released, prompting a police manhunt.
He has since been re-arrested and deported to Ethiopia.
Political Fallout
The episode intensified parliamentary scrutiny over asylum management and Home Office procedures, creating a tense exchange that reflected the government’s ongoing struggle with migration oversight.
Author’s Summary
A disrupted PMQs turned into a heated session focused on asylum failures, with David Lammy making parliamentary history and opposition questions underscoring government missteps.