£4 Million cost of foreign criminals at HMP Whitemoor strengthens case for leaving the ECHR
The taxpayer is spending an estimated £4 million a year just to house in Fenland foreign nationals convicted of serious criminal offences.
HMP Whitemoor is one of the country’s most secure prisons and is used to house the most serious convicted criminals, with almost all inmates serving sentences of over 10 years, and many serving life.
Because of this it is incredibly expensive to run, with each prisoner costing £86,264 in 2023/24.
Yet according to its most recent inspection, and official population statistics 46 of its 315 inmates - or almost 15% - are foreign nationals. This means a cost of over £4million a year for taxpayers. On top of this, foreign criminals are adding to the pressure on prison places.
Instead of paying to house these criminals, they should be deported to serve their jail time in their home countries.
The UK Borders Act 2007 mandates deportation for non-EU nationals sentenced to 12 months or more, yet the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) frequently obstructs these efforts. Appeals under ECHR Articles 3 (prohibition of inhumane treatment) and 8 (right to family life) allow serious offenders to remain in UK prisons, burdening taxpayers and limiting prison capacity.
Exiting the ECHR would streamline deportations, prioritizing public safety and taxpayers while alleviating pressures on prison capacity. Expanding prisoner transfer agreements and reviewing deportation thresholds as the previous government did were steps forward, but we need to go further and leaving the ECHR is the decisive solution to ensure efficient deportation policies.
If you agree that we should not be paying for foreign prisoners to remain in the UK, join me in supporting this critical reform. Sign my petition to leave the ECHR and back policies that save millions, ease prison pressures, and put British taxpayers first.
