Terror suspect escape prompts furious political row over prison cuts

Government facing questions about state of criminal justice system as search for Daniel Khalife continues

The escape of a former soldier from a London jail has provoked a furious political row with ministers criticised over cuts and staff shortages that have left potentially dangerous inmates in low-security prisons.

With the hunt for Daniel Khalife involving 150 counter-terrorism officers, the police were on Thursday urgently trying to establish whether the 21-year-old had help fleeing from HMP Wandsworth.