The deportation of foreign criminals will be speeded up as part of an immigration crackdown aimed at freeing up spaces in crowded prisons.
A new crack squad will see specialist staff sent to 80 prisons in England and Wales to remove those who have no right to stay in the UK, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) announced on Sunday.
The new squad, part of a £5m scheme to be operational by 1 April, will help the Home Office to identify and manage those going through the immigration process, deporting criminals up to 18 months before the end of their prison sentence to serve sentences in their home countries.
Foreign national offenders (FNOs) make up around 12 per cent of the total prison population.
The move comes as part of a wider drive by the Labour government to deport more illegal migrants, which has led to accusations it is trying to mimic Nigel Farage’s Reform UK Party.
Last month, The Independent revealed the Home Office was seeking a company to oversee the booking and oversight of flights deporting those with no right to remain in the UK.
It will add to the growing backlash at the party’s plans to film immigration raids and publish pictures of deportation flights in a bid to “show not tell” the public what it is doing to crack down on migration.
Some 2,580 FNOs have been removed since July last year, up 23 per cent compared to 12 months prior.
Almost 21,000 returns have taken place in the same period – the highest rate of removals for more than half a decade, the MoJ said.
According to the latest MoJ figures, as of 24 February, the number of prisoners in England and Wales reached 87,199.
This is the highest figure since 21 October last year (87,465), the day before more than 1,000 prisoners were released early as part of the government’s urgent measures to ease overcrowding.
Ministers have also promised to find 14,000 cell spaces in jails by 2031 as part of other long-term measures to fix prisons and cut reoffending.
Prisons minister Lord James Timpson said: “It cannot be right for British taxpayers to foot the bill for jailing foreign criminals who have brought misery to our communities.
“Under this government, removals are up by nearly 20 per cent. We’re now taking action to ensure this is done swifter, easing pressure on overcrowded prisons and on the public purse.
“This is part of our Plan for Change – fixing the broken prison system we inherited and keeping our streets safe.”
