ANALYSIS: up to £600 million cost to taxpayers of keeping foreign national offenders in prison

For immediate release

• Foreign national offenders costing taxpayers up to £600 million per year to keep in custody.
  
  
• Over one in eight inmates in prisons in England and Wales are foreign nationals.
  
  
• TPA calling for the urgent deportation of almost all foreign national offenders.

Foreign national offenders are costing taxpayers as much as £600 million per year to house in prisons in England and Wales, according to analysis of new government figures by the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

There are a total of 11,153 foreign nationals currently in custody, equal to 13 per cent of the total prison population. With the average inmate costing £54,000 a year to keep locked up, this means a total potential cost of £600,042,553. This is greater than the revenue that will be raised from family farm tax and family business tax, which will only raise approximately £500 million according to the Office of Budget Responsibility.

The group of foreign national offenders imposing the greatest cost on taxpayers is Albanians, costing up to £64,184,593.

The TaxPayers’ Alliance is calling on the government to urgently deport all foreign national offenders except for those who need to remain locked up in the UK for national security reasons. 

Responding, John O’Connell, chief executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said:

"It's a national betrayal to demand that British taxpayers foot such a huge bill to provide bed and board to foreign criminals.

“With each inmate costing nearly £54,000 a year, it’s high time the government stopped sheltering these vile offenders who, after committing crimes, should have no right to be here.

“Foreign offenders should be deported to their countries of origin, not left to leech off the wallets of law-abiding families.


TPA spokespeople are available for live and pre-recorded broadcast interviews via 07795 084 113 (no texts)


Media contact:

William Yarwood
Media Campaign Manager, TaxPayers' Alliance
[email protected]
24-hour media hotline: 07795 084 113 (no texts)

Notes to editors:

1. Founded in 2004 by Matthew Elliott and Andrew Allum, the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) campaigns to reform taxes and public services, cut waste and speak up for British taxpayers. Find out more at www.taxpayersalliance.com.
   
   
2. TaxPayers' Alliance's research council.
   
   
3. The full statistical breakdown can be found here.