'Disgrace!' Top Tory tears into Labour for hailing Hadush Kebatu deportation while freeing thousands of the worst offenders under early release scheme

Praising the deportation of Kebatu, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "Last week’s blunder should never have happened - and I share the public's anger that it did. I would like to thank the police for rapidly bringing Kebatu into custody and the public for their vigilance.

"I have pulled every lever to deport Mr Kebatu and remove him off British soil. I am pleased to confirm this vile child sex offender has been deported. Our streets are safer because of it. If you come to this country and commit crimes, we will remove you."

Hitting out at the Labour Government over the error of Kebatu's release, Mr Mullan told GB News: "There are two things I'd like to say about that. The first is that he should never have been here in the first place, and that we need to deliver a clear plan, that we've got to deport these people within a week when they arrive through a safe third country or their country of origin.

"We've made clear what we will do whatever it takes, leaving the ECHR (European Convention on Human Rights), abolishing immigration tribunals, to allow us to do that."

He added: "The second thing I would say is that this vile offender, and as the Home Secretary described, a vile criminal, was responsible for committing sexual assault offences.

"And at the very day that the Government is saying that they're glad that this person is out of the country and off our streets, they will be legislating to enable more than two thirds of the people who are sent to prison for sexual assault to get out of prison earlier."

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Condemning the move, the Tory minister fumed: "That is a disgrace, that is a betrayal of victims of offences just like the ones he committed, and many, many more, I'm afraid. And so the Government is speaking out of both sides of its face.

"It wants to criticise people like this quite rightly, and say that they shouldn't be on our streets at the same time as legislating to let very many of them out of prison earlier."

Host Ellie Costello then grilled Mr Mullan, highlighting that the early release scheme "began under Rishi Sunak".

He responded: "There is the pressure scheme that Governments have used for decades to let people out of prison when the prison system is under pressure, but hat the Government is doing today is very different to that. Those schemes typically exclude sex offenders, very violent offenders. What the government is legislating for today has no such exclusions.

"They have very minimal exclusions. People that commit sexual assault, two thirds of them are getting a reduction in their prison time. Half of people that are sent to prison for attempted murder will be let out of prison earlier as a result of these changes.

"So there's completely unprecedented decisions that the Government are taking that I think are a betrayal of victims, and certainly nothing like the early release schemes that have been used in the past."

Questioned on Kebatu's deportation, host Eamonn Holmes admitted he was "surprised" that a human rights lawyer was not defending his case and fighting for his chance to stay in the UK.

Mr Mullan agreed, explaining: "I expected that he would, even though he had previously suggested that he would like to leave voluntarily. I was surprised that he didn't perhaps at the last minute lodge a claim, because we know this happens again and again, and I'm afraid this issue is not going to be fixed until we leave the ECHR, until we reform our human rights laws.

"And Labour under this leader, who hasn't got the backbone to do that, will keep running into these issues. In this instance, they've been able to deport someone. We know, for example, that under their apparent one in, one out scheme that someone's already come back because there just isn't a concerted and clear plan to deport people to a safe third country and prevent them from returning."

The Conservatives are claiming that the Government is allowing thousands of rapists, child sex offenders and other violent criminals to be released from prison.

The Sentencing Bill, introduced to tackle the growing prison population, was introduced last week.

The bill will restrict the use of short sentences and instead strengthen community punishments.

It will also include an “earned progression scheme”, which allows convicts who demonstrate good behaviour to be freed earlier.

Labour brought it into effect with the aim of tackling prison overcrowding, but the Tories accused them of favouring criminals over victims and said the Government’s approach is a “betrayal”.

The Government has hit back, accusing the Tories of “rank hypocrisy” over prison overcrowding and the previous Government’s early release policies.