The data, covering the period from April 1 to October 31, was released amid growing public criticism over such "mistaken" releases following several high-profile cases in recent weeks.

Justice Secretary David Lammy told members of Parliament that the figures "show a prison system under immense pressure," adding that the Labour government had inherited the crisis from the previous Conservative administration.

According to the ministry's latest annual report, 262 prisoners in England and Wales were mistakenly released in the 12 months ending in March, an increase of 128% compared to 115 cases the previous year. Of those, 87 prisoners had been convicted of violent offenses, and three had been serving sentences for sexual crimes.

The Justice Ministry said the figures include any prisoner who was freed despite being meant to remain in custody, provided that neither the individual nor a third party acted with criminal intent to escape.

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The imposition of sanctions on serving ministers was condemned across the government from wall to wall and even opposition figures like Benny Gantz, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio overnight.

In an X post, Rubio wrote: "The United States condemns the sanctions imposed by the governments of United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia on two sitting members of the Israeli cabinet. These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war. We reject any notion of equivalence: Hamas is a terrorist organization that committed unspeakable atrocities, continues to hold innocent civilians hostage, and prevents the people of Gaza from living in peace. We remind our partners not to forget who the real enemy is. The United States urges the reversal of the sanctions and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel."

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. Already Monday night, Israel discovered Britain's intention to impose the sanctions, and by Tuesday morning this became an established fact. The Foreign Ministry had been monitoring this planned British step with concern for a month, when several weeks ago Lammy announced the freezing of negotiations for a free trade agreement with Israel.

It turns out this is not the end of the story from the British perspective. As with France's diplomatic efforts to advance a peace conference, this appears to be just another step toward escalation in relations between the countries. Israel recognizes this as planned pressure to bring Israel to stop the Gaza war and as part of additional moves that may be implemented soon.

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Britain – joined by Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other countries – will enact asset freezes and travel restrictions on Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir and Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich on Tuesday.

The sanctions ban Smotrich and Ben-Gvir from entering the country or dealing with British financial institutions, similar to what senior Russians have faced due to the war in Ukraine.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that "we were informed about UK decision to include two of our ministers on the British sanctions list. It is outrageous that elected representatives and members of the government are subjected to this kind of measures." He added that after his discussion with Prime Minister Netanyahu, it was decided that "we will hold a special government meeting early next week to decide on our response to this unacceptable decision."

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British Foreign Secretary David Lammy voiced strong criticism Saturday night regarding Israel's decision to refuse entry to two British members of parliament who arrived at Ben Gurion Airport.

"It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel were detained and denied entry by Israeli authorities," Lammy said. "I have made clear to my counterparts in the Israeli government that this is no way to treat British parliamentarians, and we have been in contact with both MPs tonight to offer our support."

It is unacceptable, counterproductive, and deeply concerning that two British MPs on a parliamentary delegation to Israel have been detained and refused entry by the Israeli authorities.

— David Lammy (@DavidLammy) April 5, 2025

 Lammy emphasized that the British government remains focused on "achieving a return to a ceasefire and negotiations to stop the bloodshed, release the hostages, and end the conflict in Gaza."

The diplomatic incident occurred Saturday when two Labour Party MPs – Yvonne Fovargue and Afzal Khan – landed at Ben Gurion Airport on a flight from Luton. According to Israel's Interior Ministry, the parliamentarians claimed to be part of an official delegation, which Israeli authorities disputed.

Israeli officials stated that questioning of the two revealed they had actually intended "to document the security forces and spread hate speech," leading the interior minister to order their removal from the country.

Fovargue represents the Makerfield constituency in Britain, while Khan serves as the member of parliament for Manchester Gorton. They were accompanied by two aides when they arrived in Israel.

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