Reform UK wants to send foreign criminals to ‘rot’ in foreign jails in plans to free up prison space.
The party has vowed to deport over 10,000 foreign nationals from British jails.
Their Home Affairs Spokesperson Zia Yusuf posted on X that he would send the criminals to ‘serve in countries like El Salvador and Kosovo’ if their ‘home countries won’t take them back’.
Nigel Farage has reportedly already opened talks with El Salvador, which is has notorious ‘hellhole’ mega-prisons.
A Reform delegation will head to the Central American country within months to discuss the feasibility of deporting foreign criminals there.
Unveiling Reform’s prisons policy late on Sunday, Yusuf vowed to ‘change the law so that those who commit serious crimes like murder, manslaughter, rape and serious violence serve their full sentences’.
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’s ‘Shadow Chancellor’ Robert Jenrick added: ‘Reform will send foreign criminals to rot in jail in the likes of El Salvador, so killers like those of PC Andrew Harper are never released early.’
The Sun has reported that initial conversations have already taken place between El Salvador and Reform about renting prison spots.
Party chairman Lee Anderson is due to lead a team of officials for a visit later this year.
Donald Trump has already struck a similar agreement with El Salvador to deport migrants from the United States, which sparked controversy given the harsh prison conditions.
Certain jails in the country see inmates crammed into their cells for 23.5 hours a day, with each cell holding 65 to 70 prisoners. Rival gang members are often kept in the same cells.
Farage is also expected to announce plans to build ‘Nightingale prisons’ to create 12,000 more prison places.
The government is under immense pressure to reverse plans that would allow two of Pc Andrew Harpers killers to be freed early.
More than 850,000 people have signed a petition calling for Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers to remain in jail.
However ministers are facing a prison overcrowding crisis and over have been told the whole system could collapse unless thousands of convicts are released early.
It is the first major test of Andy Burnham’s premiership, with a Government source telling The Daily Telegraph on Friday the Prime Minister is prepared to ‘explore every option’ to block their early release.
A Ministry of Justice spokesman 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.’
A Labour Party 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.
‘Reform have no serious answers to the Tory prisons crisis and would lead the system to collapse. This would result in a free for all for dangerous and violent offenders, including murderers and rapists.
‘Nigel Farage and Reform simply can’t be trusted to keep Britain safe.’
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