One of two men freed in error hands himself back in as prison governors blame Tories for underfunding system – UK politics live

<p>Billy Smith, 35, was sentenced to 45 months for multiple fraud offences on Monday and freed in error the same day</p><p>ITV News has broadcast<a href="https://www.itv.com/news/2025-11-06/itv-news-exclusive-moment-wrongly-released-wandsworth-prisoner-hands-himself-in"> footage </a>of Billy Smith handing himself back in. (See<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/nov/06/prisoner-release-david-lammy-latest-live-politics-news-updates?page=with%3Ablock-690c85fc8f08d1d8177765c8#block-690c85fc8f08d1d8177765c8"> 11.35am</a>.)</p><p>Billy Smith, 35, who was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/nov/05/david-lammy-pmqs-rachel-reeves-tax-system-news-updates-uk-politics-live?page=with%3Ablock-690b82448f089a14963160ab#block-690b82448f089a14963160ab">mistakenly released from Wandsworth prison on Monday</a>, has handed himself back in, PA Media reports. The release of someone like Smith, a convicted fraudster, would not normally make the news, but he was let out of Wandsworth prison only a few days after the Algerian sex offender referenced at PMQs yesterday, which is why his return to jail gets the PA snap news alert treatment.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2025/nov/06/prisoner-release-david-lammy-latest-live-politics-news-updates">Continue reading...</a>