Pentonville prison’s local MP has called for the Victorian jail to close as soon as possible, saying: “If inmates are escaping and being killed, what is the point of this prison?’

Emily Thornberry, the MP for Islington South and Finsbury and shadow foreign secretary, said she had repeatedly raised the issue of gangs controlling the walls of Pentonville and that the recent murder and this week’s escape had proved to be the final straw.

Police are still hunting the two escaped prisoners who fooled officers by leaving mannequins made of sheets and pillows in their cell beds, then used a diamond-cutter to break through their cell bars, before scaling the perimeter wall on Sunday night.

“People don’t seem to be safe inside Pentonville, and now it transpires inmates can escape. That is the final straw. If they don’t have control of the place, what is the point of it being there?” Thornberry told the Islington Gazette. “This was built in 1842 and is totally inappropriate for modern needs. It should have shut a long time ago, and needs to close as soon as possible.”

She said that for more than a year neither the prison nor the police had had control of the walls. Instead, gangs were controlling them and using drones to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the north London jail.

Pentonville was named by the former justice secretary, Michael Gove, as one of the first likely candidates to be shut under the government’s “new for old” programme in July when he called it the “most conspicuous” and “most dramatic example of failure within the prison estate”.

Thornberry’s demand came as the police appealed to anyone helping the two escaped prisoners, Matthew Baker and James Whitlock, to turn them in. “It is very likely they are being assisted by others, possibly with somewhere to stay, clothing and money – in order to evade capture,” said DCI Steve Heatley of the Metropolitan police. “I would appeal to anyone who is helping them that they are potentially committing a crime and would encourage them to contact us so that we can bring this matter to a safe and swift conclusion.”

The warning came after it emerged that there had been a further six stabbings inside the prison since Jamal Mahmoud, aged 21, was stabbed to death at Pentonville on 18 October. At least one of the subsequent attacks involved a razor blade with an inmate slashed across his face and back. Two men have been charged with murdering Mahmoud.

The two prisoners on the run are Baker, 28, who was found guilty of attempted murder two weeks ago and was due to be sentenced on Friday. The second was his cellmate, Whitlock, 31, who was on remand having been charged with conspiracy to burgle, namely 19 offences of theft from cash machines.

Baker posted on Facebook before his escape a warning to his enemies that that they would “meet again one day” and that he knew where they lived, the Sun reported. The Facebook page has been taken down but his message read: “Let’s get one thing straight to anyone who wants to say anythink behind my back. I know your names n where yous live n believe me we’ll meet again one day n i dont forget nothic just remember that yous know who yous are.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said Liz Truss, the justice secretary, had been clear that the levels of violence in prisons were unacceptable.

The spokesperson said: “We announced a major overhaul of the prison system last week including 2,500 extra frontline officers. These extra officers and new safety measures will help us crack down on the toxic cocktail of drugs, drones and mobile phones that are flooding our prisons. Our measures will create prisons that are places of safety and reform giving prisoners the education and skills they need to turn their backs on crime for good.”