Foreign fraudsters allowed to stay back

London: A leaked memo on Friday dramatically undermined Gordon Brown's pledge to deport foreign criminals.

It revealed that immigration officials have "no interest" in throwing out prisoners who have served less than a year in jail.

The policy means that every year about 4,000 drug dealers, thieves and fraudsters are released back into the community rather than deported, said critics.

Conservatives said the disclosures flew in the face of repeated pledges from both Tony Blair and Brown to deport serious foreign criminals.

The leaked memo was sent by Prison Service chief Michael Spur to governors. He stated that only prisoners who served over a year, or were singled out by the courts for deportation, should be ejected from the country.

Labour rule

It comes three months after the Prime Minister told the Labour Party conference: "Let me be clear, any newcomer to Britain who is caught selling drugs or using guns will be thrown out. No one who sells drugs to our children or uses guns has the right to stay in our country."

Shadow justice minister Nick Herbert said the "vast majority" of prisoners serve under a year and they include many drug dealers.

"The result will be that foreign thieves, fraudsters, burglars and drugs dealers will be released back into the community," he said.

"It takes a special kind of cynicism to promise tough action on foreign criminals while simultaneously instructing that the majority of them are to be released."