UK to Reveal Nationalities of Foreign Criminals as Deportation Backlog Grows
The UK government is preparing to release the nationalities and crimes of foreign offenders for the first time, in a move Home Secretary Yvette Cooper says will give the public "better information" about who is awaiting deportation. More than 19,000 foreign criminals were still in the country at the end of last year, with Albanians, Romanians, and Poles making up the top three nationalities. Despite a higher number of deportations under Labour, the backlog has grown, blamed on prison overcrowding, appeals, and unstable conditions in some home countries.
The announcement sparked an immediate backlash from migrant rights groups and some Labour MPs, who accused the government of stirring up prejudice. Fizza Qureshi from the Migrants’ Rights Network called it a “blatant exercise in scapegoating,” warning that linking nationality and crime would deepen discrimination. Others raised fears the data could fuel more unrest, with Clive Lewis warning it risks being twisted to “stir up hate” rather than help the public understand the full picture.
Tories were quick to claim victory, saying Labour had "buckled" under pressure to disclose the numbers. Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick welcomed the decision, insisting: "We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country. Frankly, the public deserved to know this long ago."
