'Deport first, appeal later' policy for foreign criminals extended

Foreign criminals from 15 more countries face deportation before they have a chance to appeal in an expansion of the government's "deport first, appeal later" scheme.

- Eleni Courea

Ministers are extending the scheme, which applies in England and Wales and was restarted in 2023, to cover 23 countries including India, Bulgaria, Australia and Canada.

The policy, which was introduced by the Conservatives in 2014, removes the right of foreign criminals to appeal against their conviction in the UK unless they show they are at risk of harm if they are deported to their country of origin.

It is already operational in eight countries including Tanzania, Finland, Estonia and Belize.

Other countries now brought under the scheme by Labour ministers include Angola, Botswana, Brunei, Canada, Guyana, Indonesia, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Malaysia, Uganda and Zambia.

The move is part of the Labour government's efforts to step up the deportations of foreign criminals to deal with overcrowded prisons and public concerns about crime.