Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to hold a press conference outlining plans to remove all foreign nationals from British prisons, aiming to end overcrowding and eliminate the need for early prisoner releases. The announcement comes amid growing controversy over the potential early release of PC Andrew Harper's killers.
Deportation and Third-Country Prisons
Alongside home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf, Farage will propose that foreign nationals in UK jails be either returned to their home countries or transferred to prisons in third countries. The British government would fund this, but it would still be cheaper than housing them domestically, he will argue.
Reform's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf vowed to “change the law so that those who commit serious crimes like murder, manslaughter, rape and serious violence serve their full sentences”. He said: “Unbelievably, there are over 10,000 foreign nationals in British jails. We will deport all foreign nationals from our jails. If their home countries won’t take them back we will send them to serve their sentences in countries like El Salvador and Kosovo. We will use the space created to ensure that serious criminals stay where they belong. Behind bars.”
Nightingale Prisons and International Talks
Farage will also explain plans to create temporary “Nightingale” prisons, similar to the Nightingale hospitals established during the Covid pandemic.
Negotiations have already begun with the government of El Salvador on potentially renting prison spaces, echoing a US policy where Donald Trump struck a deal with the Central American country to deport migrants. Reform party chairman Lee Anderson is expected to lead a delegation to El Salvador within months for further feasibility discussions.
Government Early Release Scheme Under Fire
The announcement comes as the government faces pressure over its early release scheme, which starts in October to address prison overcrowding. Some 5,000 people are expected to be released early under sentencing changes, down from 6,000 after exemptions were announced in an urgent review.
Under current plans, two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers remain eligible to be freed halfway through their 13-year sentences after being convicted of manslaughter in 2020. More than 850,000 people have signed a petition calling for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to remain in jail.
The Prime Minister has been exploring options to prevent the early release of PC Harper's killers, including excluding those who kill emergency workers from the scheme. However, reports suggest civil servants have told the Prime Minister this will not be possible. Opposition parties, including Reform, argue the solution is to scrap the early release scheme entirely.
