Tory MP Philip Hollobone has urged the government to place a limit on international aid to countries that cannot take back prisoners from the UK due to the standards of incarceration in their own country.
In a Westminster debate he said this would involve up to £1 billion in aid to countries including Romania, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, adding: “I think we should make our international aid to these countries conditional on their acceptance of a prison building programme.”
By withholding the money he argues that the British government can make the countries deal with conditions in their prisons, which would enable the UK to deport more prisoners saving the UK taxpayer the cost of keeping up to 10,000 people imprisoned. At present some EU countries including Poland have opted out the EU commitment on prisoners.
According to government figures there are currently 938 Polish nationals, 779 Irish, 737 Jamaican and 547 from both Romania and Pakistan in UK jails.