Overview
- The total has nearly tripled since 2017, rising from 5,933 to 19,491, according to official figures reported today.
- Numbers increased by nearly 5,000 in the past three years, including about 1,000 additional cases since Sir Keir Starmer became prime minister.
- Immediate deportation on sentencing was introduced in September 2025, yet removals continue to be delayed by legal challenges.
- The Home Office says all foreign offenders are referred for deportation at the earliest opportunity and that it is overhauling human-rights and appeals rules to scale up removals.
- Reports highlight persistent barriers with examples such as a German offender avoiding return on language-ability grounds and a migrant who remained in the UK before later committing a killing.