Foreign criminals convicted in British courts will soon face being deported immediately, under a law change announced by the government today.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said she is taking ‘radical action’ to help free up space in the struggling prison system and save taxpayers money.
Currently, prisoners with no right to be in the UK can be deported once 50 percent of their sentence is completed.
This will fall to 30 percent once changes recommended by the Independent Sentencing Review in May come into effect, which is expected to be next month.
And after the legislation announced today comes into force, the figure will fall to 0 percent.
Mahmood said: ‘Deportations are up under this government, and with this new law they will happen earlier than ever before.
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‘Our message is clear: if you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing.’
Government statistics show foreign offenders make up around one in eight of the total prison population in England and Wales.
Extra attention has landed on them since the full scale of the crisis in prisons emerged, demonstrating just how little space is available.
The new measures will apply to all foreign criminals currently incarcerated, as well as those yet to be sentenced.
They will be applied on a case-by-case basis, with some prisoners – such as those likely to commit further crimes against the UK or its interest if they were released – staying locked up.
According to the Sun on Sunday, those serving life sentences will also be required to wait until they have completed their time before they are deported.
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