Deporting foreign criminals languishing in British prisons is 'the answer' to tackling the overcrowding crisis, a shadow justice minister said today.
More than 10,800 foreigners are behind bars in England and Wales, equivalent to 12 per cent of the current prison population.
Yet at HMP Wandsworth, one of the country's biggest jails, inmates from overseas make up nearly half of the total.
They also account for at least a quarter of prisoners at Belmarsh, Wormwood Scrubs, Pentonville and Risley.
All five are among the 61 per cent of jails deemed overcrowded – a situation Labour has sought to manage by releasing thousands of inmates early.