Multiple reports say the Labour government has paid more than £6.5 million in taxpayer-funded support to some foreign nationals described as criminals to encourage them to leave the UK. The figure is reported as covering payments from the start of Labour’s time in office in July 2024 through October 2025. One disclosed example in the reporting includes a payment of £500 to Hadush Kebatu, described as a convicted sex offender, though the reports do not provide detailed context on the circumstances of each payment beyond the purpose of encouraging departure.
The coverage frames the payments as part of a scheme or process intended to persuade eligible individuals to depart voluntarily, but it does not indicate whether all recipients are subject to the same conditions or how eligibility is determined. The reports also do not specify whether the payments are recoverable, voluntary, or tied to legal outcomes.
Overall, the sources agree on the reported total and the time period, and they cite at least one named case involving a £500 payment.
