A league table of foreign criminals and their offences is set to be published for the first time.

In a significant shift in policy, the UK government is set to publish for the first time a detailed breakdown of the nationalities and crimes of foreign offenders currently awaiting deportation. This announcement, anticipated on Tuesday, comes amid rising numbers of foreign nationals held in custody, which now stands at 19,244—an increase from previous years. This sudden change has drawn both praise and criticism from various political factions. The Labour government, under Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, has reportedly taken this step due to mounting pressure from the Conservative Party, with critics accusing them of 'buckling' under pressure to disclose sensitive data. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp stated that this decision highlights Labour's capitulation to the Tories, emphasizing the long-held Conservative argument linking foreign offenders to crime rates in the UK. Despite this, government sources have pointed out that the Labour administration has managed to deport 3,594 offenders in just the first nine months of its term, which marks a 16% increase compared to the same period last year. Factors contributing to the waitlist for deportation include legal appeals against deportation, prison overcrowding, and diplomatic challenges from other countries. Home Office officials anticipate that this new data will keep the public well-informed regarding the demographics and crimes of foreign criminals. Critics, however, argue that this data should encompass a broader scope of cases beyond those simply awaiting deportation, referencing figures that suggest over 100,000 convictions of foreign nationals in the UK between 2021 and 2023, indicating substantial scale of the issue at hand. In conclusion, while the government's move to publicize this information is a notable step towards increased transparency, the political maneuvering underlying the decision raises questions about the intent and potential impacts of this data release. The ongoing conversation surrounding immigration policy and crime in the UK is poised to intensify as this information becomes available to the public.