Robert Jenrick Forces Labour into Publishing Migrant Crime League Tables for the First Time

Labour has been forced into a major U-turn after relentless pressure from senior Conservatives, with the Government set to publish migrant crime league tables for the first time.

After heavy campaigning by Conservatives Robert Jenrick and Chris Philp, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has now ordered officials to release a detailed breakdown of the nationalities of foreign criminals living in the UK and the offences they have committed — a demand Labour ministers had previously resisted.

The landmark move is expected to expose the countries whose nationals are most frequently involved in serious crimes such as violence, robbery, theft and drug dealing while awaiting deportation from Britain.

It is understood that Ms Cooper was forced to overrule objections from her own civil servants — who had previously claimed the data was too complex to compile — and ordered the figures to be published by the end of the year.

Mr Jenrick, who led the charge, hailed the decision as a hard-won victory for transparency and public safety. “Following over a year of pressure from campaigners, including my own attempt to change the law, it appears that there’s been a breakthrough,” he said. “The British public deserve the truth about migrant crime and the costs of low-skilled immigration.”

Until now, ministers had refused to provide the data publicly, leaving newspapers like The Telegraph and independent campaigners to drag limited figures out of police forces via freedom of information requests.

But thanks to the Conservatives’ pressure campaign — and amid growing concern in traditional Labour heartlands about uncontrolled migration — the Labour Government has finally caved in.

The move comes just weeks before crucial local elections, and many will see it as a desperate attempt by Labour to undercut Reform UK and fend off mounting criticism from the Tory Right.

Sources say the new data will shine a light on foreign criminals living in UK communities despite being subject to deportation orders. At the end of 2023, there were 19,244 such offenders — a record number, and a staggering increase from the 14,640 figure revised earlier last year, after the Tories accused the Home Office of undercounting.

Romanians, Albanians and Poles are expected to dominate the league tables, based on previously leaked figures. Between 2021 and 2023, Romanians were linked to 15,701 crimes — the highest number — while Albanians topped the list for offences per head, committing 4,028 crimes per 10,000 people, a rate 30 times higher than that of British nationals.

Conservatives believe the new tables will strengthen Britain’s hand in deportation negotiations, such as the fast-track agreement with Albania, and allow police to better target foreign criminal gangs, particularly those running cannabis farms and organised crime networks.

The decision is also likely to cause friction inside Labour ranks, where many on the Left remain resistant to any measures that could be viewed as tough on immigration.

A senior Home Office source confirmed the about-face, saying: “Any foreign national who abuses our country’s hospitality and commits serious crimes should be in no doubt that they will face the full force of the law, and be removed from the UK at the earliest opportunity.

“But we also want to ensure the public is kept better informed about the number of foreign criminals awaiting deportation, where they are from, and the crimes they have committed.”

Labour’s new stance will be seen as a vindication of Conservative warnings over migrant crime, and a direct response to growing public anger over offenders who are allowed to remain in the UK despite convictions.

Under the upcoming Crime and Policing Bill, foreign criminals awaiting deportation will be subject to tougher restrictions including GPS tags, curfews and exclusion zones — again echoing long-standing Conservative proposals.

Tory MPs are now calling for the tables to be updated regularly and for greater cooperation with foreign governments to remove offenders more quickly.

“This is a welcome step — but it’s a shame Labour had to be dragged into doing the right thing,” said one Conservative source. “If it weren’t for pressure from the Conservative benches, none of this would be happening.

“Next, Labour need to bring back the Rwanda plan!”

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Migrant Crime League Tables to be Published

The nationalities of migrants with the highest rates of crime will be revealed in official league tables for the first time under plans due to be announced by the Government today. The Telegraph has more.

Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has ordered officials to publish the first detailed breakdown of offences committed by foreign criminals living in the UK while awaiting deportation.

Albanians, Romanians and Poles are expected to be among the worst offenders for crimes including violence, robbery, theft and drug dealing.

It is understood Ms Cooper overruled Home Office officials, who previously claimed it was too difficult to provide quality data on foreign criminals, telling them she wanted the figures to be published by the end of the year.

The only previous such breakdowns have been unofficial, published by the Telegraph and campaign groups who obtained the data through freedom of information requests to police forces.

The move, ahead of next month’s local elections, will be seen as an attempt to take on Tory Right-wingers who have called for the data on foreign criminals to be published and to neutralise efforts by Nigel Farage’s Reform UK to capitalise on immigration fears in Labour’s traditional heartlands.

A Labour source said: “Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen when Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick were in charge at the Home Office, but we will also be publishing far more information about that cohort of offenders than the Tories ever did.”

Mr Jenrick, who first called for the data to be published, welcomed the move, saying: “Following over a year of pressure from campaigners, including my own attempt to change the law, it appears that there’s been a breakthrough. The British public deserve the truth about migrant crime and the costs of low-skilled immigration,” he said.

The move mirrors an approach by some US states and Denmark, where crime rates for migrants are published. In Denmark, in many instances, the rates are higher than for Danish nationals.

Ministers believe the data could provide ammunition in diplomatic negotiations to help secure deportation deals similar to the agreements with Albania for fast-track removals and prisoner transfers.

Sources said it could also help law enforcement agencies target foreign offenders, as has been seen with police operations against organised foreign crime gangs running illegal cannabis farms.

Worth reading in full.

In the Spectator, James Heale says the data “will lead to the kind of difficult conversations which many Government MPs have deliberately sought to avoid”:

Ministry of Justice data suggest that Afghans and Eritreans were more than 20 times more likely to account for sexual offence convictions than British citizens. Such statistics prompt a conundrum for pro-migration Labour MPs, concerned about women’s safety. Cooper’s league table is designed to nullify attacks by Reform and the Tories. But will her Government have the courage to provide answers to the thorny questions which it provokes?

Via The Daily Sceptic

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