No-one will take Labour’s vow to deport criminals “seriously” because Keir Starmer and his ministers have campaigned to block removals, Dame Priti Patel declared. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood will change the law to allow foreign national offenders to be kicked out of the country.

Ms Mahmood will also remove a requirement that means foreign criminals are only automatically considered for removal if they receive a 12-month prison sentence. But terrorists, murderers and people serving life terms must serve their sentences before being candidates for deportation.

Foreign nationals account for one in eight prisoners in England and Wales, with some 10,772 overseas offenders languishing behind bars. This includes 6,673 criminals serving sentences and 3,781 people on remand.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Dame Priti Patel blasted the plans, accusing Labour of “gaslighting” the public “with their fake news”.

“More Labour lies as they gaslight the public with their fake news. For years Labour opposed robust action to stop Foreign National Offenders being deported, neglecting public safety and ignoring victims.

“When Foreign National Offenders were being put on flights to leave our country, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood, PM Starmer and his Labour ministers shamefully lobbied to keep FNOs - criminals, murderers and sex offenders - in Britain and in our communities.

“They campaigned to stop dangerous Foreign National Offenders from being deported, signing letters demanding that they stay in Britain. Here's one signed by Starmer and Mahmood. Some offenders who had their deportations blocked committed more crimes here.

“With Labour's record backing dangerous offenders and campaigns to block removals, no-one will take this announcement on deporting foreign criminals seriously.”

Dame Priti pointed to a letter Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signed alongside more than 100 colleagues opposing the deportation of 50 Jamaicans on a charter flight in 2020.

From September, criminals can be deported after serving 30% of their sentence instead of 50%. But the changes will mean it will be possible to kick out them out right away and bar them from re-entering the country.

Conservative shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said: "In Starmer's topsy turvy world investors are fleeing the country in their droves while record numbers of violent and sexual offenders from abroad are put up in our prisons. It's a farce.

"Yet again Starmer has refused to confront our broken human rights laws.

"He needs to grow a backbone and change them so we can actually deport these individuals.

"The safety of the British public is infinitely more important than the 'rights' of sick foreign criminals.

"If countries won't take back their nationals, Starmer should suspend visas and foreign aid. His soft-touch approach isn't working."

A prisoner can also be kept in a British jail if there is "clear evidence" they are "planning further crimes against UK interests such as posing a threat to national security".

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has sent teams into prisons to identify inmates for deportation.

She said: "Our message is clear.

“When foreign nationals commit a serious crime, the appropriate punishment is clear to me: they must be sent packing.

“For too long, victims have watched on as those who harmed them not only completed their sentences here, but in many cases were then allowed to remain indefinitely, with many going on to re-offend.

“From now on, that will change. Foreign nationals who are given a prison sentence will automatically face deportation.”

A record number of foreign thugs, thieves and sex offenders are costing taxpayers more than £360million a year.

Some 10,772 overseas nationals are languishing in overcrowded jails.

This includes 6,673 criminals serving sentences and 3,781 people on remand.

Almost half of foreign prisoners have been locked up for violent and sexual crimes, analysis of Ministry of Justice figures has revealed.

The MoJ has, for the first time, confirmed 2,083 foreign thugs are behind bars for violent offences. Another 1,159 are on remand.

Meanwhile, 1,731 sex offenders have been locked up, including 1,382 convicted rapists, predators and perverts. The rest are also on remand.

Each one is costing taxpayers an estimated £54,000 a year