SNP under pressure to release foreign criminals for deportation
SNP ministers are under pressure to release foreign criminals from prisons if they can be deported instead.
Russell Findlay, the Scottish Tory leader, said the SNP Government can 'expedite the deportation of hundreds of foreign criminals' imprisoned for a range of serious offences.
SNP ministers have a discretionary power to release certain offenders up to 180 days early, once they have served a quarter of their sentence, to 'facilitate their removal' by UK authorities.
Mr Findlay called for this to be used 'to the fullest extent' and for pressure to be exerted on Labour Home Secretary Yvette Cooper 'to begin deportations at the earliest possible opportunity'.
Speaking ahead of the Scottish Tory conference in Edinburgh, where the policy is to be unveiled, he said his party would also allow foreign criminals to be let out early if they agreed to immediate deportation.
He argued the move would help alleviate the overcrowding crisis in Scotland's prisons, which has prompted SNP ministers to free hundreds of criminals in a series of 'emergency' releases.
Mr Findlay is hoping to use the conference to win back voters who have defected to Reform UK ahead of next year's Holyrood election.
Elections guru, Prof Sir John Curtice, has said the Tories are 'being eaten for lunch, breakfast and dinner by Reform in Scotland '.
Conservative support collapsed to just six per cent in last week's Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse Holyrood by-election and its backing has fallen to around 12 per cent in Scotland-wide polls.
Between a fifth and a quarter of those who voted Tory in last year's general election are now backing Reform and Sir John has warned the Conservatives are at risk of recording their worst performance in a Holyrood election next year.
The Tories have been the main opposition party to the SNP since 2016 but Sir John has said they could end up finishing fourth next year, behind the Nationalists, Labour and Reform.
Kemi Badenoch is to address the Edinburgh gathering on Friday morning, with Mr Findlay delivering his keynote speech on Saturday. It is their first conference as UK and Scottish leader respectively.
In April there were 653 foreigners in Scotland's prisons, up 14 per cent since last July. This accounted for around 7.5 per cent of the total number of inmates. The Scottish Prison Service said this had since risen again to 673, including those on remand.
Mr Findlay said: 'SNP ministers have the power to expedite the deportation of hundreds of foreign criminals serving time in Scotland for a range of serious offences.
'We would seek to use these devolved powers to their fullest extent by demanding the Labour Home Secretary to begin deportations at the earliest possible opportunity.
'We will also establish a scheme to allow foreign criminals to be let out early only if they agree to immediate deportation.'
The Home Secretary has a legal duty to deport foreign criminals sentenced to at least 12 months in jail, with certain exceptions.
There is also ministerial discretion to deport foreign nationals for lesser offences if it is 'conducive to the public good'.
Foreigners serving sentences in England and Wales can leave jail up to 18 months before their sentence is finished if they are being deported.
SNP ministers already have the power to release foreign criminals early but the Scottish Conservatives said they should expand the scheme so that every foreign criminal can be deported as soon as possible.
When a foreign criminal was convicted of any crime in Scotland, the Tories said a request should be made to the Home Secretary that they are deported for the public good.
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