LONDON — Britain is preparing to release thousands of prisoners early to free up space in its overcrowded prisons. Its European neighbors are getting worried. Five EU diplomats told POLITICO that their countries are particularly concerned about this change, with some saying they fear their nationals could be returned with little or no advance warning or communication.
The policy risks becoming another hurdle in Britain’s efforts to reset relations with the bloc, as the two sides prepare for a major summit to progress trade talks. Britain is on course to release over 2,500 offenders by the end of the year under the scheme, with a further 700 due to be freed on Oct. 1. But from January 2027, the government will also remove the requirement for foreign offenders to serve a minimum period in a British prison before being deported.
A U.K. government spokesperson said: “We will continue to engage with European partners on this issue. … The most serious offenders are excluded and, where there is evidence someone plans to commit future crimes, they will stay behind bars.” Communication has so far, the diplomats say, been limited. A second diplomat told POLITICO: “[The U.K. government] keeps saying that they cannot inform us. There should be some sort of collegiality among police forces, to let us know they’re letting [someone] out.
We should be warned.” The diplomat added embassies are also frustrated by the lack of coordination between departments on the issue. The changes bring forward the point at which foreign prisoners become eligible for removal, as opposed to the outcome. For others, the sentence served may be more punitive than the one they would have experienced in the U.K.” Day said deportation also remains subject to legal and practical constraints, including where removal breaches the European Convention on Human Rights or the Refugee Convention.
Foreign nationals make up around 12 percent of the U.K. prison population, according to the latest Ministry of Justice figures. The biggest groups include nationals from several EU countries, such as Poland and Romania, as well as from the EU candidate country Albania. Under the current post-Brexit trade deal, there are mechanisms where the U.K. notifies a European country when its national is convicted of a crime in Britain.
The government is currently exploring whether additional measures could further support public safety. The issue is yet another test of the Labour government’s pledge to move on from Brexit and “reset” relations with its European allies. The U.K. and EU are expected to hold a joint summit later this year, finalizing agreements to make trade smoother, travel easier, and climate cooperation tighter.
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