Estonia has rejected proposals from the UK to rent prison space for foreign nationals serving sentences in British jails. The nation's justice minister stated that such a deal would not be pursued.
This comes after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage suggested exploring options to transfer foreign criminals in the UK to prisons in other countries, including Baltic states like Estonia and Lithuania, and potentially El Salvador and Kosovo. A spokesperson for Reform UK indicated their policy was primarily focused on El Salvador and Kosovo, with openness to other countries if they were receptive.
The Conservative Party also recently urged the government to revive their 2023 plan to rent prison cells overseas, a policy they introduced when in power. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp described the Labour government's subsequent failure to pursue this as a "catastrophic mistake."
Lithuania's Ministry of Justice confirmed that no discussions or consultations had taken place regarding the transfer of Lithuanian citizens imprisoned in the UK, and the government does not see "any scope for entering into practical arrangements of this kind."
The Kosovo government, however, has shown openness to international cooperation on prisoner transfers, having agreed to lease 300 jail cells to Denmark in a deal worth approximately £170 million. A Kosovo government spokesperson stated their focus would remain on finalizing the agreement with Denmark before considering similar arrangements with other nations.
Previous assessments by both Conservative and Labour ministers indicated that renting prison space abroad could be an expensive endeavor. For context, Sweden has agreed to pay Estonia up to £52 million annually to house 600 Swedish offenders in Tartu prison. Additional payments of £7,254 per prisoner per month would apply for inmates beyond the 301st. In comparison, the average annual cost per prisoner in public-sector prisons in England and Wales was reported as £60,018 in 2024/25.