The UK government has announced plans to deport most foreign criminals immediately upon conviction, rather than after they have served 30% of their prison sentences. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood proposed legislative changes to give the government the power to remove foreign prisoners as soon as they are incarcerated.
Under the new measures, deported offenders will be barred from re-entering the UK. The rules will apply to all foreign national offenders currently in custody as well as those newly sentenced, aiming to reduce taxpayer expenditure on foreign prisoners. Each prison place costs an average of £54,000 per year, and foreign offenders make up about 12% of the total prison population.
However, foreign terrorists, murderers, and other serious offenders with indeterminate sentences will continue to serve their time in the UK before being considered for deportation. Prison governors will retain the power to block deportation of fixed-term sentence offenders if they pose a serious threat to UK interests or national security.
The government has already passed legislation, effective September, allowing deportation after 30% of a sentence is served, down from the current 50%. The latest proposal would reduce this to 0% for most foreign prisoners, pending parliamentary approval. Mahmood described the move as “radical action” and stated, “Our message is clear: if you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing.”
The Prison Service is at nearly 97.5% capacity, and an independent review found it came within days of collapse on three occasions under the previous government. Since taking power in July 2024, Prime Minister Keir Starmer has allowed early release for some offenders after 40% of their sentence to reduce overcrowding. The government has deported over 5,000 foreign prisoners, a 14% annual increase, and invested £5 million in a taskforce to speed up removals.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick criticised the government, blaming Starmer for refusing to change “broken human rights laws” that he claims prevent deportations. He said, “If countries won’t take back their nationals, Starmer should suspend visas and foreign aid. His soft-touch approach isn’t working.”
