Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has proposed sending foreign prisoners in Britain abroad to serve their sentences, with the aim of freeing up space in British prisons and scrapping the early-release scheme.
Farage said his party is considering the possibility of renting prison capacity in third countries. Among the countries mentioned as potential options are Kosovo and El Salvador, while Farage later said Estonia and Lithuania could also be considered, the BBC reports.
Under Reform UK’s proposal, foreign nationals sentenced to non-custodial penalties would be deported to their countries of origin. Those sentenced to prison would serve their full sentences either in their home countries or in a third country willing to provide prison capacity on a rental basis.
The party claims that removing foreign nationals from British prisons, combined with the construction of temporary prisons, would create enough capacity to reform sentencing laws so that dangerous criminals are not released before completing their sentences.
Farage Names Kosovo as a Possible Prison Destination
Kosovo has been named by Reform UK as one of the countries where foreign prisoners could potentially be sent to serve their sentences.
Such an arrangement between Britain and Kosovo would be similar to an agreement Kosovo has with Denmark.
In 2021, Denmark agreed to pay Kosovo an annual fee of approximately £12.8 million for an initial five-year period to rent 300 places in Kosovo’s prisons.
The capacity was intended for foreign prisoners serving sentences in Denmark.
Farage has argued that similar agreements with other countries would allow Britain to free up thousands of spaces in its prisons.
In the case of El Salvador, Farage said that housing a foreign prisoner there would cost approximately half as much as keeping the prisoner in Britain.
Reform UK says such agreements would require host countries to meet British standards regarding cell size, lighting, heating, ventilation and facilities, as well as guaranteeing prisoners daily time outdoors.
After completing their sentences, foreign prisoners would be returned to their countries of origin and barred from re-entering Britain.
More Than 10,000 Foreign Nationals in Prisons in England and Wales
At the end of June, there were 10,134 foreign nationals in prisons across England and Wales, accounting for around 12% of the total prison population.
Reform UK claims that its proposal to transfer foreign prisoners abroad would free up more than 10,000 spaces in British prisons.
However, the party’s policy document does not clarify whether the plan would also cover people held on remand while awaiting trial.
Meanwhile, the British government is facing pressure over prison overcrowding and the early-release scheme. The new scheme is expected to begin in October, with around 5,000 prisoners expected to be released during the first phase.
Reform UK has also proposed building 12,400 additional places in temporary prisons, known as “Nightingale prisons,” at an estimated cost of £5 billion.
The party claims these measures would create around 22,000 additional prison spaces and allow a Reform UK-led government to ensure that serious criminals serve their full sentences.
The British government has rejected the proposal, describing it as not a serious plan for the prison system and arguing that agreements to rent prison capacity abroad would take years to implement.
