Foreign national offenders (FNOs) will be deported quicker thanks to a new £5 million government investment in prisons across England and Wales.

The money will fund the deployment of specialist frontline staff to 80 jails with one clear mission – speeding up the removal of prisoners who have no right to be in this country.

The new crack squad will also support the Home Office to identify and manage those going through the immigration process, ensuring cases are progressed as quickly as possible.

FNOs make up around 12 percent of the total prison population and deporting them sooner will help save taxpayers’ millions while easing the capacity crisis inherited by the new government.

The move is expected to further bolster efforts which have seen 23 per cent more FNOs removed since July 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.

Minister for Prisons, Probation and Reducing Reoffending, 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 a quarter. 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.

The investment will create 82 specialist roles to oversee removals from jails. They will be in post and fully operational by 1 April.

Further information

• HM Prison and Probation Service work with the Home Office to remove thousands of FNOs via the Early Removal Scheme (where they can be deported up to 18 months before the end of their custodial sentence) and via transferring FNOs to serve their sentences in their home country
• Since July 2024, we have removed 2,580 foreign criminals, a 23 per cent increase on the same period 12 months prior