The number of foreign nationals in prison for violent and sexual offences in England and Wales has hit a record high, according to fresh data from the Ministry of Justice.
In June, the number of foreign sex offenders in prison stood at 1,731 - a rise of almost ten per cent in just 12 months.
MoJ data showed that foreign nationals were jailed for sex offences at almost three times the rate of British perpetrators in the past 12 months.
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Foreign nationals were jailed for sex offences at almost three times the rate of British perpetrators in the past 12 months.
Albanians make up the highest number of foreign sex offenders in prison with a total of 1,193.
The data also revealed that foreigners were imprisoned at almost twice the rate of Britons for offences relating to violence in the past 12 months, with the number now standing at 3,250 - the highest figure in over a decade.
Out of a total prison population of 87,334 in England and Wales, foreign offenders now make up 12 per cent, at a total number of 10,772.
Syrians saw the biggest rise in imprisonment rates in the past year, with a rise of 46 per cent.
Analysis carried out by the Conservative Party showed that the taxpayer is forking out more than £360million to house foreign convicts in English and Welsh prisons every year.
A single inmate costs over £54,000 per year - meaning an average British household's lifetime income tax receipts will pay for a year's worth of housing 10 foreign criminals.
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick said: "The Government must deport every single one of these foreign offenders.
"Starmer must suspend visas and aid until countries take back their nationals."
A Labour Party source hit back at Jenrick's comments, saying: "The Tories might talk tough on deportations, but they didn't deliver" during their 14-year stint in power.
"Deportations are up under this Labour Government, and we are changing the law so we can deport foreign criminals far quicker than the Tories ever did," they claimed.
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Robert Jenrick said: 'The Government must deport every single one of these foreign offenders'
Chris Philp, the Shadow Home Secretary, said: "Every pound spent housing a foreign criminal is a pound that could have been spent on police, schools, or fixing that crater on your road.
"Labour’s refusal to act has turned our prison system into a sanctuary for foreign offenders and taxpayers are footing the bill."
MoJ data also showed a seven per cent increase in attacks on prison staff, with the total number of incidents recorded reaching a record 10,568.
Between June 2024 and June 2025, there were seven homicides committed in prisons in England and Wales - the MoJ said that most years see between zero and three.
Nigel Farage weighed in after the data was revealed, warning that "the time has come for a national conversation about the link between immigration and crime".
A spokesman for the MoJ said: "This Government is deporting foreign national offenders at pace, with more than 5,000 deported last year.
"As part of our mission to make our streets safe and the plan for change, we are going further by changing the law so foreign prisoners can be deported earlier than ever before."