David Lammy faced mockery from Labour and Tories alike over claims that he insists civil servants call him ‘Deputy Prime Minister’.

Mr Lammy, whose other main job is Justice Secretary, allegedly orders Ministry of Justice (MoJ) staff to use his ‘DPM’ title first. 

Sources close to Mr Lammy denied the claim, saying: ‘This is just mischievous briefing.

‘Officials have called the Deputy PM his title since day 1 of getting the job, just as they did for Angela Rayner previously.’

But it came amid reports that two prisoners freed by mistake in 2024 were still at large more than a year later.

A further two inmates are also on the run after being released in error in June this year, bringing the total to four.

Last week, Mr Lammy was widely criticised when he deputised for Sir Keir Starmer at Prime Minister’s Questions and failed to admit that another migrant had been released from prison by mistake.

He was also mocked for failing to wear a poppy just a few days before Remembrance Sunday and for his excuse that he had just bought a new suit.

And, Tory justice spokesman Robert Jenrick said: ‘While Lammy is out suit shopping and obsessing about his titles, dangerous prisoners are on the loose endangering the public.

‘He should end the ego-trips and focus on his job for once. 

‘Calamity Lammy is clueless as to how many prisoners are on the run or where they are.’

A senior Labour MP said: ‘We all know he was given that title as compensation for being demoted from Foreign Secretary anyway.

‘For the sake of the Labour party, it’s about time he concentrated on his real job as Justice Secretary.’

Mr Lammy has said he was ‘appalled at the rate of releases in error’ from prisons.

On Friday, Algerian sex offender Brahim Kaddour-Cherif was finally re-arrested on Friday after mistakenly being released from HMP Wandsworth nine days ago.

The MoJ said: ‘The vast majority of offenders released by mistake are quickly brought back to prison, and we will do everything we can to work with the police to capture the few still in the community.

‘These cases only further expose the scale of the crisis in our prisons we inherited.

‘This will not be fixed overnight, but we are using every possible lever to bear down on these errors.’