Foreign criminals will be sent "packing" and deported immediately when they receive a custodial sentence, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has pledged. The proposed law change could save taxpayers an average £54,000 per year for each prison place.
The changes would apply to prisoners serving fixed-term "determinate" sentences. Authorities would retain their power not to deport a criminal but instead keep them in custody, for example, if the offender was planning further crimes against the UK's interests or national security.
Government promises immediate deportations
"Our message is clear," Mahmood said. "If you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing."
She added: "Deportations are up under this Government, and with this new law they will happen earlier than ever before." Almost 5,200 foreign national offenders have been deported since July 2024, a 14% increase on the 12 months prior, according to the Government.
Parliament approval needed for changes
The Justice Secretary's announcement follows a tweak in the law in June, expected to come into force in September, so prisoners face deportation 30% into their prison sentence rather than the current 50%. The Government will need Parliament to greenlight its proposal to bring this down to 0%.
According to a Labour source, the previous Conservative government relied on prison transfer agreements with other countries to deport foreign national offenders. These deals allow inmates to serve their custodial sentence in their "home" country.
Conservative criticism of approach
This saw 945 prisoners sent to jails abroad between 2010 and 2023, equal to less than one-and-a-half criminals per week. Foreign national offenders make up around 12% of the prison population.
Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick criticised the approach, saying: "In Starmer's topsy turvy world investors are fleeing the country in their droves while record numbers of violent and sexual offenders from abroad are put up in our prisons. It's a farce."
Opposition calls for tougher measures
Jenrick added: "Yet again Starmer has refused to confront our broken human rights laws. He needs to grow a backbone and change them so we can actually deport these individuals."
He argued: "The safety of the British public is infinitely more important than the 'rights' of sick foreign criminals. If countries won't take back their nationals, Starmer should suspend visas and foreign aid. His soft-touch approach isn't working."
(PA/London) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
