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Always a contentious topic, these newly released immigration figures have certainly given Brits some food for thought. Despite claiming to be the party that lowers immigration, the Tories ultimately fell flat on their promise over the last decade. Labour, however, have stepped up.
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As reported by the Daily Mirror, almost 10,000 foreign nations have been deported since Keir Starmer took office in July. A large part of this operation included charter flights to Nigeria and Ghana – both of which were the largest-ever return flights to each respective country.
The data also shows that a further 25 flights, tailored to each specific destination, have returned illegal immigrants to countries including Albania, Romania, and Vietnam. A total of 629 people were deported on three flights alone, breaking existing Home Office records.
However, Labour’s biggest PR victory on this matter comes with the comparisons to last year, under the Conservative administration. The numbers for 2024 – boosted by Starmer’s immigration blitz – are already a vast improvement on 2023.
Forced deportations have increased by 19% this year. But, arguably the most impressive stat comes from the ‘foreign offenders’ category. There has been a year-on-year 14% increase in the number of overseas criminals being dismissed from the UK.
More charter flights are also planned before the end of the year, which could see these numbers rise even further. After declaring an end to the failed Rwanda project during his first week in office, Sir Keir and his colleagues are focusing their efforts in a more productive manner.
The Tory plan to send illegal migrants to detention centres in the landlocked African country didn’t get off the ground, amid human rights issues and administrative nightmares. Around £700 million was ploughed into the policy, only for it to fail miserably.
