The escape of a terror suspect from Wandsworth Prison has triggered a nationwide manhunt.
Daniel Abed Khalife was awaiting trial at the south London jail on charges including preparing a bomb hoax and sharing information useful for terrorism.
The 21-year-old former soldier escaped on Wednesday morning during a shift in the prison kitchen, allegedly clinging to the underside of a food delivery van.
Following its last inspection in June 2022, HMP Wandsworth was described as overcrowded and understaffed with increasing levels of violence. Here Sky News takes a closer look at what life is like for inmates and staff there.
Image: Front gates
One of UK’s most overcrowded
HMP Wandsworth is a Category B men’s prison in southwest London, built in 1851.
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It has an official capacity of around 1,600 across five wings, but inspections have consistently found it to be overcrowded with between 60% to 80% more inmates than it was designed for.
The most recent report by His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons (HMCIP) said it “remains one of the most overcrowded prisons in the country with most prisoners sharing a cell built for one”.
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National chairman of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) Mark Fairhurst told Sky News that the last time he visited Wandsworth there were only 69 prison officers on duty for more than 1,600 inmates.
Category B means Wandsworth takes prisoners straight from local courts – who are either awaiting trial or have been sentenced – and ones that are long-term or high-security.
There is a Category C resettlement unit within Wandsworth where less violent inmates can work and study before they are released.
Image: Aerial view of the prison estate
As well as bathroom and canteen facilities there is also a visiting hall, gym, sports hall, library, faith room, classrooms and workshops.
Prisoners have phones in their cells – although they cannot receive incoming calls.
Those with privileges are offered learning opportunities in barbering, catering, bike repair, gardening, construction and radio production.
According to the website prisoners also have the chance to join a choir, yoga and mindfulness classes.
The latest inspection of the prison was carried out in June 2022.
It found living conditions for prisoners to be “very poor”. They were often housed in “dirty, graffiti covered cells, some of which had no windows”.
Inspectors also described “cleaning cupboards being in disarray” and “large amounts of rubbish in exercise yards attracting vermin”. Piles of litter were also seen “on wings” and “thrown from cell windows”.
Image: Cell with window. Pic: His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
Image: Litter-strewn cell with toilet. Pic: His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
Prisoners on one wing had to shower in “squalid conditions”, with many inmates not having access to showers on a Friday.
The prison hospital “did not meet infection prevention and control standards”, but half of the mental health unit cells were in the process of being refurbished.
Image: Rubbish thrown from cell windows. Pic: His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
Prisoners spent too much time in their cells, with more than half of the population unemployed, which meant they were locked up for 22 hours a day.
By contrast there weren’t enough work opportunities due to overcrowding and education attendance was poor.
Image: Broken bench in the exercise yard. Pic: His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
‘Increased levels of violence’
Since the previous inspection in 2021, levels of violence had increased.
According to the inspector staff “lacked confidence in challenging poor behaviour on wings”.
Image: Shower unit. Pic: His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
But they found that victims and perpetrators of crime within the prison were generally supported and leaders were implementing plans to improve safety.
While previously levels of force used by staff was described as concerning, there had been “substantial improvements” by mid-2022.
More prison officers were using their body-warn video cameras, but there still weren’t enough cameras to cover all areas of the prison.
Previously the facilities for foreign nationals were poor, with immigrant detainees spending too long at Wandsworth. But this had “improved significantly” by the time of the last inspection – with immigration officers working full-time with the support of two charities.
Image: Healthcare cell. Pic: His Majesty’s Chief Inspector of Prisons
Staff shortages ‘very high’
As a result of overcrowding, poor recruitment and retention, there were not enough members of staff per prisoner at Wandsworth at the time of the last inspection.
The inspector described “very high rates of non-effective staff”. The prison governor had left since the previous inspection and an interim one was in place.
In a statement after Khalife’s escape, general secretary of the Prison Officers’ Association (POA) Steve Gillan said: “Wandsworth is a typical example of what life is like for serving prison officers operating in a stressful and violent workplace with inadequate staff levels caring for over 1,600 prisoners at that establishment”.
His colleague Mr Fairhurst added that “chronic staffing shortages” and “lack of adequate training” has resulted in an “overcrowded” and “underresourced” jail.
Image: Inside A wing
Notable inmates
As a remand prison in London, Wandsworth has been home to some well-known and infamous inmates over the years.
These include:
Charles Bronson – long-term violent prisoner
Julian Assange – Wikileaks founder and activist
Pete Doherty – musician repeatedly arrested for drug offences
Rolf Harris – late paedophile
Max Clifford – late celebrity agent convicted of indecent assault
Boris Becker – former tennis champion convicted on fraud charges
Ronnie Biggs – Great Train robber who successfully escaped Wandsworth
Ronnie Kray – late east London gangster
Chris Huhne – former government minister jailed for perverting the course of justice over driving penalty points
Journalist and documentary maker Chris Atkins documented his time at Wandsworth in his book and podcast A Bit of A Stretch.
He served time for fraud and described overcrowded, violent and squalid conditions.
An MP has told Sky News she was attacked online by the Tate brothers after she participated in a debate in the House of Commons about violence against women.
The controversial duo, Andrew and Tristan Tate, are facing charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK – all of which they deny.
But they are still very active online, and according to Sorcha Eastwood, the MP for Lagan Valley, are targeting her.
In a document seen by Sky News, Tristan Tate has highlighted one of the MP’s tweets and writes in private correspondence: “MP, nice target, can we sue her?”
Sorcha Eastwood says at first she thought the replies were from parody accounts and not the Tate brothers.
Her original tweet was about Elon Musk, not the Tate brothers. The MP said Musk’s tweets should be looked at through a counter-extremism lens.
“I was really concerned, I was concerned because to me that is a direct attack for want of a better phrase on me serving my constituents.
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“I couldn’t believe that they decided to pick this random Northern Irish MP. The fact that it wasn’t even about them. This is something I didn’t go looking for.
“I think from my perspective, it’s a very, very sinister attempt to shut down important voices in public life, political discourse.”
It was only when she started noticing an uptick in abuse from other accounts she realised she had encountered some of the brothers’ followers.
“I had rape threats. I had death threats. I had people saying I should be hung from a lamppost. I had people saying I should be chopped into liver. I also had people then who were like we’ll waste 15 minutes raping Sorcha Eastwood.”
Image: A representative for the Tate brothers told Sky News that there was no targeted campaign against Sorcha Eastwood
A representative for the Tate brothers told Sky News that there was no targeted campaign against her.
They said: “Ms Eastwood has a distorted view regarding social media if she believes one is required to ‘invite or ask’ people to interact.
“Tristan Tate is entitled to his view in relation to her tweet regarding Elon Musk.”
The self-styled “misogynist influencer” Andrew Tate and his brother Tristan have both been charged with human trafficking, face allegations of trafficking minors, sexual intercourse with a minor and money laundering in Romania.
There is also a European arrest warrant for them as they are facing separate, unrelated charges of rape and human trafficking in the UK. They deny all charges.
Ms Eastwood now worries for others who don’t have a platform like her and who may not feel like they can speak out.
“If this is what has happened to me I have absolutely no doubt that this has happened to others where they have been attempted to be silenced.”
Keir Starmer has previously commented on the Tate brothers’ case in the Commons saying it is “a live issue”, but adding that “the principle is absolutely clear” in relation to whether the brothers should face justice.
Sorcha Eastwood says she wants to see the government do much more to protect against abuse online.
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Tate brothers deny wrongdoing
“I think ultimately the government has taken the wrong course on this. They need to step up.
“This should be an issue of national security as far as the radicalisation of young people online. It should be an issue in terms of the levels of misinformation, disinformation and the lack of trust that is had in our politics right across the UK and Europe.
“I want the government to help me, help every other person to crack down on this and get serious about it. And the only way they’ll be able to do that, is by hitting these tech companies in the only language which they understand, which is money and via robust legislation.”
A government spokesperson said: “Violence against women and girls is a scourge on our society which is why we have set out an unprecedented mission to halve these crimes within a decade.
“Tackling illegal abuse both online and offline is central to supporting victims and preventing harm in our communities and we will not hesitate to strengthen laws to deliver this mission.
“Last month, parts of the Online Safety Act came into force meaning companies must take action to protect users from illegal material including extreme sexual violence.
“Further protections from this summer will require platforms to protect children from harmful, misogynistic, and violent content.”
In parts of Birmingham, the stench is overwhelming – enough to make you heave.
At a block of flats in Highgate, in Birmingham city centre, we find a mountain of bin liners full of rubbish spewing out of the cavernous bin store, which is normally locked.
Mickel comes out to speak to us, while all around bin liners lie open, with the contents for all to see, including used nappies and rotting food.
Image: Mickel says they’ve had ‘foxes and rats, literally the size of cats’
Image: Outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate, bin liners lie open, spewing out rubbish
We both find it hard to keep talking amid the awful smell.
“We’ve had foxes and rats, literally the size of cats, flies, it’s just nasty, something needs to be done,” he says.
Image: Chris says the situation is ‘overwhelming’ as she’s ‘terrified of rats’
Around the corner, I meet Chris, in her dressing gown, popping the bins into her bin store beneath her flat before work.
She unlocks it, and although it isn’t bursting out on to the street yet, it is getting full.
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She says the situation is “overwhelming” as she’s “terrified of rats”. But, even so, she has sympathy for the striking bin workers.
“It’s not an easy job; they must have a heart of gold to do that job,” she says.
“Pay them whatever they need, they deserve it.”
Image: Striking bin workers at Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre
Image: There’s an awful smell coming from a mountain of bin liners outside Mickel’s flat in Highgate
At Lifford Lane tip, south of the city centre, Brigette has pulled up alongside picketing workers. The back seat of her car is full of rubbish.
She apologises for the terrible waft, mixed with air freshener.
“It’s very pungent, isn’t it? Not nice,” she admits.
“It’s unfortunate, I have some sympathies for all the parties, but, equally, we have a duty of care to stay clean and tidy.”
She says she has her rubbish and that of her elderly aunt and plans to make weekly trips to the tip until a resolution in this pay dispute between the council and the Unite union is found.
The US is “our closest ally” but “nothing is off the table” in response to Donald Trump’s 10% tariffs on imports from the UK, the business secretary has said.
In a statement following the US president’s nearly hour-long address to the world, Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “We will always act in the best interests of UK businesses and consumers.
“That’s why, throughout the last few weeks, the government has been fully focused on negotiating an economic deal with the United States that strengthens our existing fair and balanced trading relationship.”
Mr Reynolds reiterated the statements from the prime minister and his cabinet over the past few days, saying the US is “our closest ally”, and the government’s approach is to “remain calm and committed to doing this deal, which we hope will mitigate the impact of what has been announced today”.
Image: Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says “nothing is off the table” following the tariffs announcement. Pic: PA
But he continued: “We have a range of tools at our disposal, and we will not hesitate to act. We will continue to engage with UK businesses, including on their assessment of the impact of any further steps we take.
“Nobody wants a trade war, and our intention remains to secure a deal. But nothing is off the table, and the government will do everything necessary to defend the UK’s national interest.”
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‘Get back round the negotiating table’, say Tories
The Conservative Party’s shadow business and trade secretary described the US president’s announcement as “disappointing news which will worry working families across the country”.
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Sky’s Ed Conway examines how economies across the world are impacted by tariffs
Andrew Griffith hit out at the government for having “failed to negotiate with President Trump’s team for too many months after the election, failed to keep our experienced top trade negotiator, and failed to get a deal to avoid the imposition of these tariffs by our closest trading partner”.
“The chancellor’s emergency budget of just a week ago with its inadequate headroom is now at risk, casting uncertainty about more taxes or spending cuts,” he continued. “Sadly, it is British businesses and workers who will pay the price for Labour’s failure.”
He called on ministers to “swallow their pride” and “get back round the negotiating table to agree a fair deal to protect jobs and consumers in both the UK and the US alike”.
Relief in Westminster – but concessions to Trump to come
It has been quite a rollercoaster for the government, where they went from the hope that they could avoid tariffs, that they could get that economic deal, to the realisation that was not going to happen, and then the anticipation of how hard would the UK be hit.
In Westminster tonight, there is actual relief because the UK is going to have a 10% baseline tariff – but that is the least onerous of all the tariffs we saw President Trump announce.
He held up a chart of the worst offenders, and the UK was well at the bottom of that list.
No 10 sources were telling me as President Trump was in the Rose Garden that while no tariffs are good, and it’s not what they want, the fact the UK has tariffs that are lower than others vindicates their approach.
They say it’s important because the difference between a 20% tariff and a 10% tariff is thousands of jobs.
Where to next? No 10 says it will “keep negotiating, keep cool and calm”, and reiterated Sir Keir Starmer’s desire to “negotiate a sustainable trade deal”.
“Of course want to get tariffs lowered. Tomorrow we will continue with that work,” a source added.
Another source said the 10% tariff shows that “the UK is in the friendlies club, as much as that is worth anything”.
Overnight, people will be number-crunching, trying to work out what it means for the UK. There is a 25% tariff on cars which could hit billions in UK exports, in addition to the blanket 10% tariff.
But despite this being lower than many other countries, GDP will take a hit, with forecasts being downgraded probably as we speak.
I think the government’s approach will be to not retaliate and try to speed up that economic deal in the hope that they can lower the tariffs even further.
There will be concessions. For example, the UK could lower the Digital Services Tax, which is imposed on the UK profits of tech giants. Will they loosen regulation on social media companies or agricultural products?
But for now, there is relief the UK has not been hit as hard as many others.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has reacted furiously to Mr Trump’s announcement of a “destructive trade war”, and called on the government to stand up against “Trump’s attempts to divide and rule”.
“The prime minister should bring our Commonwealth and European partners together in a coalition of the willing against Trump’s tariffs, using retaliatory tariffs where necessary and signing new trade deals with each other where possible.”
Speaking on Wednesday evening at a White House event entitled ‘Make America Wealthy Again’, the US president unleashed sweeping tariffs across the globe.
Mr Trump held up a chart detailing the worst offenders – which also showed the new tariffs the US would be imposing.
The UK’s rate of 10% was perhaps a shot across the bow over the 20% VAT rate, though the president’s suggested a 10% tariff imbalance between the two nations. Nonetheless, tariffs of 10% could directly reduce UK GDP by between 0.01% and 0.06%, according to Capital Economics.
A 25% duty on all car imports from around the world is also being imposed from midnight in the US – 5am on Thursday, UK time.
The UK government had been hoping to negotiate an economic deal with the US in a bid to avoid the tariffs, but to no avail. The government says negotiations will continue.
The Confederation of British Industry said “negotiating stronger trading relationships with all like-minded partners will be foundational to any success”.
The business secretary is expected to make a statement in the House of Commons on Thursday, and we are also expecting to hear from the prime minister.