The number of foreign criminals still in the UK despite being eligible for deportation is at a record high, it is claimed. The revelation is another blow to Sir Keir Starmer and top Labour ministers who have vowed to get tough on the issue.
Some 19,491 freed from prison in the UK, who are eligible for removal, reportedly remain in the country. The number is said to have soared since 2017, when it was 5,933. The nearly 20,000 figure apparently represents a record, with the amount only increasing as the Government continues to grapple with deportation hurdles.
According to The Sun, which broke the story, some offenders who have been out of jail for more than five years but have still not been removed from the country are believed to be included in the 19,491 figure.
The total is said to be an increase of nearly 5,000 in three years, with almost 1,000 under Sir Keir’s premiership as Prime Minister.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp told the newspaper: “Every single foreign national offender who is eligible for removal should be deported.”
In August, the Government announced most foreign criminals convicted in the UK will face immediate deportation, rather than 30% of the way through their prison sentences.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who was Justice Secretary at the time, said Labour was “taking radical action to deport foreign criminals”.
“Our message is clear: if you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing,” she said.
In response to the reports, a Home Office spokeswoman said: “This Government will not allow foreign criminals and illegal migrants to exploit our laws, which is why we are reforming human rights laws and the broken appeals system, allowing us to scale up deportations.”
“All foreign national offenders who receive a prison sentence in the UK are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity.”
The Home Office previously said in recent years it had seen a rise in convicted criminals using rights-based appeals as a means of avoiding deportation.
