Lee Anderson left with head in his hands as GB News guest defends 'intelligent' David Lammy

Mr Lammy has faced widespread backlash after failing to confirm he knew that a prisoner had been mistakenly released from HMP Wandsworth on October 29, the third incident in a matter of weeks.

In a statement following the accidental release, the Justice Secretary said he was "outraged and appalled" at the error.

Defending the Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Butterworth argued: "These attacks on David Lammy as Justice Secretary, it's nothing more than cancel culture. The people who were responsible for these mistakes are people we don't know the names of, who work in places like Wandsworth Prison who let them out, not the person in Whitehall.

"And I think trying to have this constant merry go round of ministers will not fix the problem. We need someone as capable and intelligent as David Lammy."

Taken aback by the remark, Lee and commentator Charlotte Griffiths gasped, to which the GB News host exclaimed: "Oh my God, oh dear, let me have a drink. Can you just repeat that, please? Intelligent and competent?!"

Mr Butterworth responded: "He's a Harvard law scholar, right? He's one of the most intelligent people in the country.

"It's ridiculous, you're chiming in to cancel culture. The idea that someone in Whitehall made the mistake of someone in a prison on the other side of London.

"Obviously, it's not directly their mistake, but what you need is someone intelligent to fix those systems."

Interrupting Mr Butterworth, Lee then told Ms Griffiths: "I'll give him his due, he's actually saying this with a straight face.

"He's not grinning, there's no movement there. He doesn't actually believe this, does he? You can't believe that?"

Delivering her verdict on Mr Lammy, Ms Griffiths told GB News: "I have to say, I think David Lammy's performance at the despatch box was not a deterrent, because actually the buck stops with him.

"So anyone further down the system, the people in the prisons, the people handling the paperwork, the admin that went awry, all those people are looking to PMQs and saying, this guy is not going to shoulder any blame, and he's not annoyed about it."

Mr Butterworth hit back: "The mistake would be on whoever made these mistakes, you're misdirecting where the blame lies. It's David Lammy's responsibility to fix the structures, he's been in that job for a matter of weeks.

"He's not responsible for how this came about, but the people that actually did it, they should be fired or suspended, not the politician in Government."