The Conservatives have pledged to deport “every foreign criminal” convicted of all but the most minor offences, with 40,000 offenders a year ejected from Britain. The party promises a “complete departure from 40 years of immigration law” and states the number of “serious foreign criminals” living in British communities who should have been removed has risen by more than a fifth under Labour to 21,294.
Plan announced ahead of party conference
Kemi Badenoch’s party has announced its plan to ensure foreign offenders leave the country as she prepares for next week’s party conference in Birmingham. A Conservative analysis found that Labour sent “fewer than 6,000 foreign criminals back” last year and none was returned to Iran, Sudan, Eritrea, or Syria. This is despite “839 of their nationals sitting in prisons in England and Wales”.
The Tories found “just 11 Jamaicans were deported of the 357 in our jails, along with six Iraqis of the 306 and nine Somalis of the 235 incarcerated”. They claim that if the UK quits the European Convention on Human Rights the country will be able to take five key steps to get rid of foreign criminals.
The five-step plan to deport foreign criminals
First, any foreign national would face “automatic deportation” for “any criminal offence” with the exception of violations such as “parking tickets, littering, dog fouling or failing to have a TV licence”. All criminals removed would be permanently banned from returning to the UK without the prior approval of the Home Secretary.
Second, any country that refused to take back its nationals would face visa sanctions and cuts to overseas aid. The Conservatives say a “cautious approach” would be taken to “returning women to Afghanistan”. The Home Secretary would have the power to suspend a deportation where there is “a risk of death or persecution” or “exceptional compassionate circumstances”.
Third, naturalised dual nationals who have been jailed for more than five years and have lived in the UK for less than 15 years would be stripped of their British citizenship. Fourth, immigration checks would become part of routine police work. Officers would be required to check the immigration status of those they “arrest and detain”. Fifth, live facial recognition would be “rolled out to 100 high-crime areas” and criminals who are in Britain illegally would be “detained and deported”.
Further measures and political reaction
The Conservatives also plan to repeal the Human Rights Act and leave the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings if they are returned to power. They plan to change modern slavery laws so removals are not blocked and foreign criminals would be “banned from claiming asylum”. Further measures include abolishing the Immigration Tribunal and ending immigration legal aid.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said: “We must deport all foreign criminals - it’s that simple. If someone comes to Britain and commits a crime, once jail time is served, they must go. Labour continues to let serious foreign criminals roam our streets, and many go on to commit more serious crimes... We will not apologise for putting the safety of the British public first.”
A Government spokesperson said: “Nearly 10,000 foreign criminals including murderers and rapists have been removed since the last election – a 36% increase on the 21 months prior. Any foreign national who receives a prison sentence in the UK is referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity and will be barred from ever returning.”
A Home Office source added: “This Government requires no lessons from the Conservatives. Returns of foreign national criminals are up 36% under this Government. Don't listen to their rhetoric. Judge them on the reality of they failed to deliver in office.”
