The Estonian government has rejected the idea of taking prisoners from the UK to help ease the overcrowding crisis in British jails. Justice Minister Liisa Pakosta told the BBC Estonia would not rent jail cells to other countries while it was housing criminals from Sweden in its half-empty Tartu prison under a deal signed last week. The Conservatives and Reform UK have both suggested renting cells in foreign prisons, including in Estonia, to free up space and prevent the early releases of some offenders in England and Wales.
The Labour government also explored the idea in 2024 but talks with Estonia came to nothing. Pakosta said Estonia had received no proposals to rent its prison space from the UK, adding that if one was to be made "our answer would be unequivocal - in Margaret Thatcher's famous words: No. No." She added: "Such a proposal would not merely be mistaken, misguided or unacceptable; it would deserve to be rejected outright." Thatcher memorably repeated "no" three times in 1990 speech, as she fiercely rejected calls for deeper political and economic integration of the European Community, which later evolved into the European Union.
In 2024, the Labour government, when Sir Keir Starmer was prime minister, held talks with Estonia to discuss the Baltic state's policy to house some prisoners from abroad. Pakosta previously told the BBC she had met then-UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood in Lithuania. Prime Minister Andy Burnham's government is planning to release thousands of prisoners early this October, as it scrambles to free up space in jails almost at 100% capacity.
On Monday, Downing Street did not rule out renting space in foreign prisons, when asked by reporters if the government was considering doing so. A No 10 spokesperson said the government was focused on "creating that extra capacity within the system domestically". "In terms of renting prison places abroad, it's just not a quick fix," the spokesperson added.
"It will require primary legislation underpinned by a complex international agreement which would take several years to agree." A government source told the BBC that renting foreign prison space would not help with the short-term crisis in jails. Burnham has ordered the justice secretary to come up with a plan to create more space in jails by September. He said the plan would be based on removing more foreign national offenders from prisons, releasing some offenders on indefinite sentences, and using space in women's jails for male inmates.
Other parties have come up with their own ideas for dealing with overcrowding in prisons. At a news conference on Monday, Reform UK suggested 10,000 prison spaces could be freed up if all foreign criminals were sent abroad to serve their sentences. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party was exploring options to transfer foreign criminals in the UK to prisons in other countries, including El Salvador and Kosovo.
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