Nationalities of foreign criminals to be published

The nationalities of foreign criminals living in the UK will be published for the first time under plans to be unveiled later.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is understood to have ordered officials to publish data by the end of the year, showing the nationalities and crimes of those awaiting deportation.

The latest official data shows there were more than 19,000 foreign offenders awaiting deportation at the end of last year, up from almost 18,000 when the Conservatives left office in July.

Tuesday's commitment to publish nationality data about foreign criminals is - according to the Conservatives - evidence that Labour "buckled" after the Tories pressured the government to disclose the figures.

In response government sources insist the move was only possible because Cooper ordered Home Office statisticians to overhaul their systems.

Foreign nationals sentenced to 12 months or more in prison are subject to automatic deportation.

The home secretary has the power to deport people who receive a shorter sentence if she decides their presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.

Home Office sources blame the increase in foreign criminals awaiting deportation on early releases due to prison overcrowding, instability in some countries making deportations difficult and a litany of appeals against deportation on human rights grounds.

The rise came despite more offenders being deported since Labour came to power.

Home Office figures are expected to show the main three nationalities for foreign criminals living in the community are Albanians, Romanians and Poles.

It is understood their most common offences were the production of drugs, theft and robbery, and acts of violent assault.

Government sources insist the change has only come about because ministers have addressed an issue that their Conservative predecessors ignored.

A Home Office 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."

The source added: "We 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."

Welcoming the news, shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: "We will finally see the hard reality that mass migration is fuelling crime across our country. Frankly, the public deserved to know this long ago."