Britain poised to strike deal with Iraq to send home 163 inmates

More than 160 Iraqi criminals held in British jails are to be sent back to Baghdad.

The government is on the verge of agreeing a deal for them to complete their sentences in their home country, despite the country being on the brink of civil war.

The extraordinary plan is being pursued despite repeated attacks on jails in Iraq by insurgents in the Al-Qaeda inspired Islamic State uprising.

A key aim of the Islamic State - also known as Isis - has been to free Sunni prisoners from government jails.

On June 10 militants stormed Mosul and released as many as 1,000 prisoners from the city's prison.

Days later, dozens of people were killed in fighting when the notorious Abu Ghraib prison and Taji prison, both in Baghdad, came under attack.

As part of talks about a prison transfer deal, the British government has warned Iraqi government about the need to protect any Britons held in its jails if the situation deteriorates as a result of the militant uprising.

David Cameron promised four years ago to take action to reduce the number of foreign nationals clogging up our jails.

But little significant progress has been made in bringing the down the number, which stood at 10,130 at the end of last year.

Volunteers have joined the Iraqi Army to fight against predominantly Sunni militants from the radical Islamic State group, responsible for storming jails across Iraq

The coalition has sought to strike deals with foreign governments to send criminals home to serve out their sentences.

Since 2010 prisoner transfer agreements have been sealed with several countries, including Nigeria, Albania, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Ministers insist they are ‘determined’ to agree more, but rarely give details before they have been finalised.

However, prisons minister Jeremy Wright has revealed talks with Iraq are close to a conclusion.

Latest figures show that at the end of 2013 there were 163 Iraqi inmates in jails in England and Wales, of which 151 were Muslim.

The negotiation of a prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Iraq is at an advanced stage

Prisons minister Jeremy Wright 

Mr Wright said: 'The negotiation of a prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Iraq is at an advanced stage.

‘Officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are in discussion with the Iraqi authorities and we hope to finalise the agreement at the earliest possible opportunity,' he said in response to a parliamentary question

‘Once in place British nationals imprisoned in Iraq and Iraqi nationals imprisoned here, will be able to serve their sentences in their own country.’

But he acknowledged that the threat of violence and unrest in Iraq remains a concern in Whitehall.

‘Given the security situation in Iraq, we have reminded the Iraqi Government of its important duty of care for foreign nationals held in its prisons and have asked for urgent advice on their contingency planning,’ he said.

The infamous Abu Ghraib jail west of Baghdad, scene of allegations of abuse by US soldiers in 2004, was handed over to Iraqi authorities in 2006.

But last year there was a major prison break, in which some 500 inmates were said to have escaped, and in April the site - known as Baghdad Central Prison - was temporarily closed over fears it could be stormed by Sunni insurgents.

At the end of 2013 there were 10,130 foreign nationals held in prisons in England and Wales, with most from Poland, Ireland, Jamaica and Pakistan

The threat posed by Islamic militants in ISIS, which has seized large areas of Iraq, will raise doubts about the authorities’ ability to guarantee the security of prisons, and the safety of inmates.

But the UK government remains determined to bring down the number of foreign prisoners before the election.

The prisoner transfer agreement with Albania was struck last year to 'free up space in prisons here and reduce the cost to the British taxpayer’.

It was the first major bilateral prisoner transfer agreement with a country outside the European Union. There are 275 Albanian nationals in in prisons in England and Wales, including three women.

The agreement with Nigeria was signed in January and the first transfers are expected by the end of the year.

Latest figures show there are 414 Nigerian men and 55 women in prison here.

Mr Wright added: ‘Whereas this Government has begun to reduce the foreign national population in prison since 2010, between 1997 and 2010, the number of foreign nationals in our prisons more than doubled.’

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