Reform finally unite with Tories for first time over key migrant issue to humiliate Labour

The Tories and Reform UK have finally united over a new amendment to force the government to come clean over foreign national offenders. Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has secured support for his amendment from all five of Reform UK's MPs and Rupert Lowe.

The move, if supported by a majority of MPs, would force the Home Office and the Ministry of Justice to finally reveal the nationality and legal status of all criminals convicted and sentenced in Britain. It's the first time Nigel Farage has officially sided with the Tories on legislation, and only the second time the two parties have come together in Parliament after both Mr Farage and Kemi Badenoch tabled a petition against the Chagos surrender. A Tory source said: "It is the first time they have worked together, and on immigration. There is no precedent for this."

Reform UK deputy Richard Tice warned against "overthinking" the unprecedented teaming-up, though acknowledged it is a "good amendment" that merits cross-party support.

Mr Jenrick said that if his amendment to the Crime Bill passes, it would end the "shameful cover-up" by state authorities.

It would mirror the approach taken by some US states and Denmark, who produce migrant league tables.

It could also help inform migration policy, by limiting visas from countries whose migrants are disproportionately committing crimes.

The Shadow Justice Secretary previously warned that Afghans and Eritreans are 20 times more likely to be convicted of sex offences, while Albanians are 153 times more likely to be convicted of drug offences.

Mr Jenrick insisted "we need to know the truth about who is committing crime in our country".

Mr Jenrick said: "Indicative data shows Albanians are 153x more likely to be convicted of a drug offence than Brits.

"And that Eritreans are 20x more likely to be convicted of sex offences.

"I am proposing a law change to force the release of the full facts about migrant crime and end the cover up."

Research by the Centre for Migration Control revealed there were 104,000 foreign national convictions between 2021 and 2023.

Some information about migrant criminals has been unearthed via Freedom of Information requests, though much remains unknown.

The Centre for Migration Control said there were 87 nationalities with a higher conviction rate for sexual offences than the British population. In 2024, these nationalities were awarded 557,041 long-term visas by the Home Office.

The data, drawn from the police national computer, shows that foreign nationals were convicted of 2,500 of the 16,771 sexual offences - where a nationality was known - between 2021 and 2023.

The rates, based on convictions per 10,000 of the population put Afghans, with 77 convictions, at the top with a rate of 59 per 10,000 - 22.3 times that of Britons.