In April 2025, the UK government announced a seismic shift in transparency: for the first time, official "migrant crime league tables" will detail the nationalities and offences of foreign criminals living in the UK while awaiting deportation. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, overriding officials who claimed quality data was unattainable, ordered the figures published by year's end. This move, spurred by political pressure and public demand, pulls back the curtain on a contentious issue: the disproportionate role of certain migrant groups in serious crimes, from violence to sexual offences. But as the data emerges, it raises thorny questions about immigration, integration, and governance—questions the UK may struggle to answer.
Foreign nationals make up roughly 9.3% of the UK's population, per 2021 census data, yet their footprint in the criminal justice system is outsized. Between 2021 and 2023, over 100,000 foreign nationals were convicted of serious crimes in England and Wales, including rape, robbery, and drug offences. Home Office figures from 2024 show 19,244 foreign criminals were living in communities while awaiting deportation, up from 17,907 at the general election—a 30% rise from 2022's revised 14,640. These numbers, long obscured by what some call an "institutional cover-up," paint a stark picture.
Specific crimes stand out. Foreign nationals accounted for 15% of sexual offence convictions between 2021 and 2023, with up to 23% when including "unknown" nationalities likely non-British. In 2024, police arrested over 9,000 foreigners for sexual offences across 41 of 43 forces, comprising 26.1% of the 35,000 total arrests. For all crimes, foreigners made up 16.1% of arrests despite their smaller population share, with 131,000 arrests from January to October 2024. Drug offences also show a stark disparity: 15% of 104,000 convictions were foreign nationals, with Albanians alone outstripping other groups by fourfold.
The data singles out certain nationalities. Albanians, Romanians, and Poles are expected to top the league tables for violence, robbery, theft, and drug dealing. Romanians led with 15,701 convictions between 2021 and 2023, followed by Poles (13,333) and Albanians (7,653). But per capita rates tell a different story: Albanians, with 4,028 convictions per 10,000 of their UK population, have a rate 30 times higher than British nationals (136 per 10,000). For sexual offences, Afghans (59 per 10,000) and Eritreans (53.6 per 10,000) lead, over 20 times the British rate of 2.66 per 10,000. Albanians also dominate drug offences, with 439 prisoners compared to other groups' sub-100 figures.
Organised crime amplifies the issue. The National Crime Agency has flagged Albanians for running illegal cannabis farms and drug gangs, often linked to illegal Channel crossings. A 2024 Telegraph analysis found one in 50 Albanians in the UK is in prison, with 1,227 inmates from a population of 52,000. Other groups, like Congolese (186 per 10,000 for violent crime) and Somalis, also show elevated rates, though their smaller populations limit total impact.
The decision to publish these tables, announced April 22, 2025, isn't purely about transparency. With local elections looming, Labour's move under Cooper aims to neutralise Reform UK's Nigel Farage, whose party has gained traction in Labour heartlands by addressing immigration fears. Tory MPs, including Robert Jenrick, have long pushed for such data, with Jenrick's 2024 amendment to the Criminal Justice Bill failing only due to the election. Cooper's directive, as a Labour source boasted, outpaces Tory efforts: 3,594 foreign criminals were deported since Labour's rise, a 16% increase from the prior year.
The data also serves practical ends. Ministers see it as leverage for deportation deals, like the fast-track removals with Albania, and as a tool for police to target organised gangs.
Migrant crime resonates beyond statistics, especially in rural UK communities where integration lags. In areas like Lincolnshire or Kent, far from urban diversity, cannabis farms and petty theft strain local trust. Sexual offence data—Afghans and Eritreans at 20 times British rates—fuels particular alarm, especially after high-profile grooming scandals.
For rural residents, the issue isn't just crime but perception. Small towns, with limited police resources, feel vulnerable when foreign offenders, released due to prison overcrowding or human rights appeals, remain in communities. The Home Office cites early releases and diplomatic barriers—like instability in Afghanistan—as reasons for the 19,244 awaiting deportation. This frustrates locals who see a system failing to prioritise safety.
The league tables, while revealing, have limits. The 2021 census underestimates populations like Albanians and Afghans, who arrived in droves post-2021 via small boats, skewing per capita rates. "Unknown" nationalities in conviction data muddy the waters, and arrests don't equal convictions—yet public discourse often conflates them. The Ministry of Justice data, drawn from police and courts, may miss context, like socioeconomic factors or policing biases.
Migrant crime, particularly by groups like Albanians, Afghans, and Romanians, is a measurable problem, with foreign nationals overrepresented in serious offences. Cooper's league tables, due by December 2025, will quantify this, potentially sharpening deportation efforts and policing.
https://dailysceptic.org/2025/04/22/migrant-crime-league-tables-to-be-published/
"The nationalities of migrants with the highest rates of crime will be revealed in official league tables for the first time under plans due to be announced by the Government today. The Telegraph has more.
Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has ordered officials to publish the first detailed breakdown of offences committed by foreign criminals living in the UK while awaiting deportation.
Albanians, Romanians and Poles are expected to be among the worst offenders for crimes including violence, robbery, theft and drug dealing.
It is understood Ms Cooper overruled Home Office officials, who previously claimed it was too difficult to provide quality data on foreign criminals, telling them she wanted the figures to be published by the end of the year.
The only previous such breakdowns have been unofficial, published by the Telegraph and campaign groups who obtained the data through freedom of information requests to police forces.
The move, ahead of next month's local elections, will be seen as an attempt to take on Tory Right-wingers who have called for the data on foreign criminals to be published and to neutralise efforts by Nigel Farage's Reform UK to capitalise on immigration fears in Labour's traditional heartlands.
A Labour source said: "Not only are we deporting foreign criminals at a rate never seen when Chris Philp and Robert Jenrick were in charge at the Home Office, but we will also be publishing far more information about that cohort of offenders than the Tories ever did."
Mr Jenrick, who first called for the data to be published, welcomed the move, saying: "Following over a year of pressure from campaigners, including my own attempt to change the law, it appears that there's been a breakthrough. The British public deserve the truth about migrant crime and the costs of low-skilled immigration," he said.
The move mirrors an approach by some US states and Denmark, where crime rates for migrants are published. In Denmark, in many instances, the rates are higher than for Danish nationals.
Ministers believe the data could provide ammunition in diplomatic negotiations to help secure deportation deals similar to the agreements with Albania for fast-track removals and prisoner transfers.
Sources said it could also help law enforcement agencies target foreign offenders, as has been seen with police operations against organised foreign crime gangs running illegal cannabis farms.
Worth reading in full.
In the Spectator, James Heale says the data "will lead to the kind of difficult conversations which many Government MPs have deliberately sought to avoid":
Ministry of Justice data suggest that Afghans and Eritreans were more than 20 times more likely to account for sexual offence convictions than British citizens. Such statistics prompt a conundrum for pro-migration Labour MPs, concerned about women's safety. Cooper's league table is designed to nullify attacks by Reform and the Tories. But will her Government have the courage to provide answers to the thorny questions which it provokes?"
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/03/10/foreigners-commit-up-to-quarter-of-sex-crimes/