'Unacceptable that the taxpayers fund their stay' - Shropshire MP welcomes immediate deportation of foreign criminals
It's "unacceptable" that taxpayers fund foreign offenders to stay in the country, a Shropshire MP has said.
MP for Telford, Shaun Davies has welcomed the Government's plan to immediately deport foreign criminals and streamline the appeals process.
Changes to the law will allow the immediate deportation of convicted foreign criminals in a bid to remove them from prisons, save money for British taxpayers and protect the public from dangerous criminals.
Offenders who are deported will also be barred from re-entering the UK.
Furthermore, the Government has announced that more foreign criminals are to have their appeals heard from abroad, preventing them from "gaming the system" to delay their deportation from the UK.
The 'Deport Now Appeal Later' scheme has been trebled from eight to 23 countries, meaning foreign nationals from countries included in the scheme will be deported to their home countries before they can appeal against the decision.
Telford MP, Shaun Davies said migrants who had been convicted of offences could remain in the UK for months or even years at the taxpayer’s expense, often in hotels and military bases, while their appeals worked their way through the court system.
But he said now they will have their appeals heard remotely and from abroad.
The scheme's new countries include Canada, India and Australia.
Mr Davies said: "This is a transformational change to our broken asylum system, and it can’t come soon enough. Since becoming Telford’s MP, I’ve raised the subject of strengthening judges’ powers to deport foreign criminals on four separate occasions, so I’m really pleased to see the Government shares my priorities.
"It’s unacceptable that foreign criminals are staying in the UK for months or years on end - and in some cases past the end of their criminal sentence - and the taxpayer is footing the bill."
The Government said almost 5,200 foreign criminals have been deported since it entered office in July 2024.
It added that £5 million has been invested for the deployment of specialist staff to almost 80 jails to speed up removals.
Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP said: "For far too long, foreign criminals have been exploiting our immigration system, remaining in the UK for months or even years while their appeals drag on. That has to end.
"Those who commit crimes in our country cannot be allowed to manipulate the system, which is why we are restoring control and sending a clear message that our laws must be respected and will be enforced."
