Foreign criminals will face immediate deportation after being sentenced under new Government proposals.

New powers coming into force from tomorrow aim to get foreign national offenders out of British prisons.

Under the plans first introduced back in June, prisoners can now be deported after serving 30 percent of their prison time, rather than 50 percent.

Now, the Government said it will be stripping back a decades-old law to introduce new powers for immediate deportation from prison.

Offenders who are deported will be barred from re-entering the UK.

The Government has claimed it has deported 5,200 people since July 2024, an increase of 14 per cent compared to the same 12 months prior

It comes after a report suggested Labour must build 53,000 new prison spaces to keep up with demand and ensure criminals are properly punished.

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Welcoming the new legislation, Justice Secretary, Shabana Mahmood said she wanted to send a "clear" message.

She said: "This Government is taking radical action to deport foreign criminals, as part of our Plan for Change.

"Deportations are up under this Government, and with this new law they will happen earlier than ever before.

"Our message is clear: if you abuse our hospitality and break our laws, we will send you packing."

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Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood

Foreign offenders make up around 12 per cent of the total prison population with prison places costing £54,000 a year on average.

The changes will apply to prisoners serving fixed-term sentences and discretion to not use the measure on a case-by-case basis will be retained.

However, a spokesman from Reform UK said: "Until we leave the ECHR, which Labour will never do, the UK will never regain control over who we can and cannot deport.

"Labour won’t be able to deport foreign criminals and don’t want to deport illegal migrants. This is a weak government that lacks the guts to do what the British people want."

A Government spokesman said: "Our Immigration White Paper will end the addiction to cheap overseas labour that saw net migration explode to nearly one million in recent years by replacing it with an immigration system that is controlled, selective and fair and boosting opportunities for homegrown talent.

"The White Paper also includes plans to introduce legislation that tightens the application of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights and sets out reforms to make it easier to remove foreign criminals convicted of any offence before the threat they pose escalates.

"The changes to enable the immediate deportation of foreign prisoners require primary legislation and will be brought before Parliament in due course."