To boot out lags, first fix law flaws
FOREIGN criminals account for 12 per cent of our ballooning prison population, the highest number in more than a decade.
That means almost 11,000 of those behind bars in England and Wales are foreign nationals. At £54,000 a year per lag, that amounts to an eyewatering bill of around £580million for taxpayers.
That is unsustainable. And the impact on already overcrowded jails is obvious.
Labour’s new plan to deport foreign offenders immediately is, on the surface, an overdue means of ending this madness.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood says: “My message is clear: break Britain’s laws and you’ll be sent packing in record time.”
Strong words, no doubt influenced by Reform leader Nigel Farage’s pledge to do just that a few weeks ago.
But how long before we find actions bogged down in human rights appeals?
For this to work, Home Office legislation must be watertight to prevent appeals to the European Court so beloved by Attorney General Lord Hermer.
There must be no endless appeal process, no belated asylum claims clogging up the system and no blocking under Article 8 of the Human Rights Act.
If PM Sir Keir Starmer can assure us of that, his plan may stand a chance.
But on the evidence of countless Government failings to deport illegal migrants, we aren’t holding our breath.
Foreign criminals account for 12 per cent of our ballooning prison population[/caption]
Hit Vlad in pocket
DONALD Trump has created an opportunity to halt the bloody Ukraine war by engineering face-to-face talks with Vladimir Putin in Alaska this week.
Putin was driven to the negotiating table after President Trump announced sanctions on India’s oil imports from Russia — blocking £40billion a year going into Putin’s coffers and hitting his war machine where it really hurts.
Europe will rightly be wary of any proposals that emerge from Friday’s summit.
But before leaders climb on their high horse, they should examine their own shameful EU spending on Russian oil and gas, worth a staggering £20billion a year.
If they really want peace, they must stop funding Putin by the back door.
Rachel in wonderland
IT’S good to see Chancellor Rachel Reeves tightening her belt with a stay at a £49-a-night caravan park.
She spent time on her Haven holiday watching the Mad Hatter’s tea party.
It must have felt like she was back in a Labour Cabinet meeting.
