David Lammy made history on Wednesday, becoming the first black politician to lead Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons.
Mr Lammy deputised for Sir Keir Starmer while the prime minister attends Cop30 in Brazil.
His appearance was described as a "landmark" moment.
Mr Lammy acknowledged progress, paying tribute to Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Mother of the House Diane Abbott as "trailblazers".
Labour MP Connor Rand congratulated Mr Lammy in the chamber "on being the first black person to ever answer Prime Minister’s Questions".
The Altrincham and Sale West MP added: "A landmark moment for this place in our country and I hope he is proud."
Mr Lammy replied: “It’s very kind of the honourable gentleman (Mr Rand) to say that, and I’m conscious that my right honourable friend the member for Hackney North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott), and indeed, the leader of the Opposition (Mrs Badenoch), are both trailblazers who have stood at this despatch box.
“And it’s important to recognise the progress that we’ve … made, particularly in the wake of Black History Month.”
Lammy questioned on prisoner’s release
Mr Lammy was unable to say whether any other asylum seekers had been accidentally freed from prison since Hadush Kebatu’s bungled release – just minutes before it was revealed that another prisoner is on the run after mistakenly being freed in London.
Asked five times during Prime Minister’s Questions whether any foreign national offenders had been accidentally released from prison in the last few weeks, the rattled deputy prime minister repeatedly dodged the question.
As the heated back and forth came to a close, it emerged that a 24-year-old Algerian national was released in error on 29 October, just days after sex offender migrant Hadush Kebatu was wrongly freed from HMP Chelmsford instead of being sent to an immigration detention centre.
