Reform UK has unveiled plans to deport thousands of foreign criminals from British prisons and potentially send them to serve their sentences in countries including El Salvador.

The party says the radical proposal could remove more than 10,000 foreign nationals from UK jails, freeing up desperately needed prison places for serious offenders.

Under the plans, foreign prisoners would first be deported to their home countries. However, if those governments refused to accept them, Reform says it would seek agreements with third countries willing to imprison them on Britain’s behalf.

El Salvador, which has become internationally known for its vast and highly controversial prisons, is among the countries being considered.

Reform UK’s Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf announced the proposal as part of a wider package aimed at tackling Britain’s prison overcrowding crisis.

He said: “Unbelievably, there are over 10,000 foreign nationals in British jails.

“We will deport all foreign nationals from our jails. If their home countries won’t take them back we will send them to serve their sentences in countries like El Salvador and Kosovo.

“We will use the space created to ensure that serious criminals stay where they belong. Behind bars.”

Reform also wants offenders convicted of serious crimes including murder, manslaughter, rape and serious violence to serve their full sentences rather than qualify for accelerated release schemes designed to ease overcrowding.

Robert Jenrick said foreign criminals could be sent to “rot in jail in the likes of El Salvador”, arguing that the additional capacity could prevent serious domestic offenders from being released early.

The proposals come amid growing anger over the prospect of Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers, two of the men responsible for the death of PC Andrew Harper, becoming eligible for earlier release.

More than 850,000 people have reportedly backed a petition calling for the pair to remain behind bars.

Reform Eyes El Salvador Deal

According to reports, initial discussions have already taken place between Reform and El Salvador over the possibility of Britain renting prison places there.

A Reform delegation led by party chairman Lee Anderson is expected to travel to the Central American country later this year to examine whether such an agreement could work.

Nigel Farage said imprisoning an offender in El Salvador could cost approximately half as much as keeping them in a British jail.

He has also suggested Kosovo, Lithuania and Estonia as potential locations for overseas prison arrangements.

However, Estonia has already poured cold water on the suggestion.

An Estonian government spokesperson told Metro that further prison rental agreements with other governments had been “ruled out”, saying the country was not considering additional deals.

El Salvador could prove considerably more receptive.

The country has transformed its prison system during a huge crackdown on organised gangs, with tens of thousands of suspected gang members incarcerated.

Its prisons have become notorious around the world for their extremely harsh conditions.

Some inmates are reportedly confined for as long as 23-and-a-half hours each day, while cells can accommodate between 65 and 70 prisoners.

El Salvador’s enormous Terrorism Confinement Centre, commonly known as CECOT, has become a symbol of President Nayib Bukele’s uncompromising approach to crime.

The maximum-security complex was built to accommodate tens of thousands of prisoners.

Supporters credit Bukele’s crackdown with dramatically reducing violence in a country once considered one of the world’s most dangerous.

Human rights organisations, however, have repeatedly raised concerns over prison conditions, alleged arbitrary detention and due process.

US Has Already Used Salvadoran Prisons

Reform would not be the first political administration to explore using El Salvador’s prison capacity.

The United States has already reached arrangements involving people being transferred to the Central American country under President Donald Trump.

That approach has generated significant controversy, particularly because of concerns surrounding conditions and legal protections for those transferred.

Reform nevertheless believes a similar model could help solve two problems facing Britain simultaneously: the number of foreign offenders in British prisons and the shortage of available cells.

Yusuf described the situation as a “national emergency”.

He said: “British people are literally being killed because there is not enough space in our prisons.”

The party’s proposals would go significantly further than simply transferring foreign prisoners overseas.

Farage is also expected to propose the creation of temporary “Nightingale prisons”, modelled on the rapid construction of Nightingale hospitals during the pandemic.

Reform believes the programme could create approximately 12,000 additional prison places.

The proposals arrive as the Government faces intense pressure over prison overcrowding.

Ministers have warned that allowing the prison estate to reach absolute capacity could have severe consequences throughout the criminal justice system.

If prisons run out of cells, police could potentially struggle to detain suspects and courts could face difficulties remanding defendants into custody.

The Ministry of Justice said the Government wanted to prevent more serious offenders from qualifying for earlier release but warned there were limits to what could currently be achieved.

A spokesperson said: “We have been clear that we wanted to go further and block more offenders from getting out sooner into their sentence but could not do so without risking prisons reaching capacity and collapsing.

“If that happened, police could not make arrests, courts could not remand offenders and there would be unchecked criminality on our streets.”

Pressure Over PC Andrew Harper’s Killers

The row has intensified because of the potential early release of two men involved in the death of PC Andrew Harper.

The Thames Valley Police officer was killed in 2019 after becoming caught in a strap attached to a vehicle while responding to a burglary.

Cole and Bowers were convicted of manslaughter alongside Henry Long.

The possibility that Cole and Bowers could benefit from changes intended to tackle overcrowding has sparked a major public backlash.

Reform argues that removing foreign offenders from the British prison estate would create enough capacity to keep more serious offenders locked up for longer.

The Government has been examining possible ways to prevent cases such as those involving PC Harper’s killers from becoming eligible for earlier release without triggering a wider capacity crisis.

Labour has rejected Reform’s approach and accused the party of failing to offer a workable solution.

A Labour spokesperson said: “Keeping the public safe is and always will be Labour’s first priority.

“The Government has already made clear we are working at pace to deport foreign criminals and we’re building more prison places to deliver justice for victims and keep criminals behind bars.”

The party claimed Reform’s proposals risked destabilising the prison system rather than fixing it.

But Reform is pushing ahead with its plans, with the expected visit to El Salvador potentially providing the first indication of whether its controversial proposal to imprison foreign criminals thousands of miles from Britain could actually become reality.