Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick (Image: Getty)
Tory leadership hopeful has set out plans for a fivefold increase in deportations of people living illegally in the UK.
The ex-immigration minister’s proposals include blocking foreign aid and visa bans for countries that refuse to cooperate with migrant returns.
Mr Jenrick also wants to strike more Albania-style agreements to declare countries such as Vietnam, Turkey and Brazil safe.
The measures are expected to lead to more than 100,000 illegal migrants being removed in a year, compared to 22,807 in 2023.
Mr Jenrick said: “Illegal migration is placing intolerable pressure on our communities and the taxpayer.
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“While the number of people here illegally has ballooned over the last 20 years, deportations have plummeted.
“As immigration minister I increased removals by over 50%. But that system is broken – we need fundamental change. Anyone who arrives illegally from a safe country should be removed immediately.
“The Government must stop other countries exploiting our generosity by imposing severe visa restrictions and restricting foreign aid to countries that do not take back their nationals here illegally.
“We must leave the ECHR so we can deport dangerous foreign criminals. And we must declare countries like Turkey, Brazil and Vietnam safe in law – these are holiday destinations, not war-torn hell-holes.
“This would secure our borders, protect the public and save the taxpayer tens of billions of pounds in the years ahead.”
The proposals by Mr Jenrick, who has made leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) a central part of his leadership campaign, include deporting all foreign criminals.
The number of foreign offenders subject to deportation action living in Britain stood at 11,800 in September 2023.
The Newark MP would also boost funding for immigration enforcement to crack down on illegal employment, and make companies and bosses criminally liable if they employ illegal workers.
It comes as the number of enforced returns has plummeted by over 80% since 2004, from 21,425 to 3,860.