Labour still failing to deport foreign criminals

In April 2006 Home Office incompetence led to over 1,000 foreign-born criminals, who should have been deported, being freed instead. These included rapists, paedophiles and at least 3 murderers. It led to Home Secretary Charles Clarke being sacked in May and the eventual hiving off of sentencing prisons, probation, and prevention of reoffending to form a new Ministry of Justice in May 2007.

The Prime Minister, Gordon Brown told the Times in July:

"I want a message to go out - if you come here to work you learn the language; if you commit a crime you will deported from our country."

Today's memo sent by the Deputy Director of the prison service to prison governors then, that reveals immigration officials have "no interest" in deporting criminals jailed for less than a year is a serious embarrassment.

New Liberal Democrat Home Affairs Spokesperson Chris Huhne commented:

"There is no follow through at all. It is a complete failure of joined up government between what the prime minister is saying and what officials are doing. It's at odds with common sense. If you have a foreign convict they should be deported at the end of their sentence. It's as simple as that."