Thousands of foreign criminals “free-riding” on Britain’s prisons face being sent home in the coming years as part of a new deportation drive being planned across Whitehall.

The Sunday Telegraph has learnt that the Justice and International Development departments are working together to improve Britain’s success at removing foreign criminals.

Ministers hope the UK’s generous aid budget and the political access it brings can be used to convince counties to repatriate more citizens when they break the law in Britain.

Those involved in the talks are understood to be torn between a “carrot” or “stick” approach that would see countries either incentivised or punished for failing to co-operate.