Reform UK proposes sending foreign inmates abroad to block Labour's early-release plan

At a press conference, Reform UK chief Nigel Farage announced plans to transfer all foreign prisoners to prisons abroad, citing negotiations with countries such as El Salvador, Estonia and Lithuania. The party contends that freeing up more than 10,000 spaces by moving these inmates, combined with the construction of emergency "Nightingale" prisons, would enable sentencing changes that prevent early release for serious offenders.

Labour responded that the scheme would not solve immediate capacity problems and would require years to implement. Under the proposal, foreign nationals receiving custodial sentences would serve them either in their home country or a third-party state, while those given non-custodial punishments would be deported. Reform also pledged to bar released foreign offenders from re-entering the UK, and claimed the approach would increase the prison population but be offset by the newly available spaces. Critics highlighted the lack of detail on how remand prisoners would be handled and raised concerns about human-rights standards in potential host nations.