The British government will begin publishing the nationalities of foreign criminals living in the UK, along with details of their offences, under new plans announced by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. The data, expected by year-end, aims to increase transparency around foreign offenders awaiting deportation a figure that has risen to over 19,000, up from 18,000 when the Conservatives left office.
Under current rules, foreign nationals sentenced to at least 12 months in prison face automatic deportation, while the Home Secretary can also remove those with shorter sentences if deemed a threat to public safety. Officials attribute the growing backlog to prison overcrowding (leading to early releases), difficulties deporting individuals to unstable countries, and legal challenges based on human rights claims.
Early reports suggest the largest groups of foreign offenders are from Albania, Romania, and Poland, frequently convicted of drug production, theft, robbery, and violent assault.
The government defends the move as a step toward greater accountability, with a Home Office source stating: “We’re deporting foreign criminals at a higher rate than the previous administration and providing far more information than the Tories ever did.”
Critics, including former Conservative immigration minister Robert Jenrick, argue the data should have been released sooner, claiming “mass migration is fuelling crime.” Ministers, however, insist the change reflects Labour’s focus on fixing systemic failures overlooked by the last government.
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