UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer recently announced plans to deport convicted foreign nationals from England and Wales immediately after sentencing. The move is part of Starmer’s push to take a tougher stance on border security and crime committed by foreigners.
Currently, under legislation introduced in June, foreign offenders can be deported after serving 30% of their sentence, down from the previous 50%. However, the Home Office has now said the threshold will be removed entirely, allowing the deportation process to begin as soon as the court delivers a sentence.
According to reports, Labour ministers argue that this will help cut prison overcrowding, reduce costs, and lower reoffending rates in the UK. The policy will be presented to Parliament soon. If approved, it will apply to both current inmates and those sentenced in the future. It will not cover offenders serving life sentences for crimes such as murder or terrorism, as these individuals will remain in the UK for national security reasons.
The announcement comes as Starmer faces pressure from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party, which has promised to deport over 10,000 foreign criminals and increase prison capacity by building new jails and renting prison space overseas.
Foreign nationals make up about 12% of the prison population in England and Wales, with Albanians forming the largest group. Official figures show that 5,200 foreign offenders were deported since July 2024, a 14% rise from the year before. The Ministry of Justice has spent £5 million deploying specialist staff to 80 prisons to speed up removals.
Prison overcrowding remains a serious issue, with facilities operating at nearly 97.5% capacity. While Labour has released some lower-risk prisoners early to ease the crisis, critics on the right have strongly opposed the move.
ALSO READ: Why Have UK Households Been Urged to Close Windows For Four Weeks? Reason Will Leave You Shocked?
