'We're lining their pockets!' Martin Daubney rages at foreign criminals being handed £2,000 credit cards on UK deportation flight

Martin Daubney outraged as foreign criminals given £2,000 on deportation flight to Romania

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GB NEWS

Georgia Pearce

By Georgia Pearce


Published: 24/09/2025

- 18:52

Newly released footage shows around 50 foreign criminals being personally handed £2,000 on a credit card by UK officials during their deportation flight

GB News host Martin Daubney has been left outraged at "astonishing" footage showing foreign criminals being given £2,000 on their deportation flight out of Britain.

Reacting to the revelation, Martin declared it a "joke", hitting out at foreign criminals having their "pockets lined by the taxpayer".


In the footage, obtained by ITV News, a plane full of foreign criminals are each handed a credit card loaded with £2,000, to use to help them resettle.

The flight, travelling to Romania, included almost 50 foreign national offenders who had committed crimes in the UK, including killers, thieves and sexual abusers.

ITV News footage, Martin Daubney

Martin Daubney hit out at the 'lunacy' of foreign criminals being given £2,000 to leave Britain

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ITV NEWS / GB NEWS

Delivering his verdict on the footage, Martin fumed: "This astonishing footage that shows Romanian deportees, who've been in prison for a variety of very serious offences, physically, literally being given credit cards with £2,000 on which they can plug into an ATM when they land.

"We know they're entitled to this money, but the video makes it absolutely breathtaking. The British taxpayers are lining the pockets of foreign criminals for them to spend when they land. This a joke."

Sharing more details of the deportations, GB News Political Editor Christopher Hope explained: "Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood says 'out of context, it's not great, it doesn't look good'. Well, you're telling me.

"You're giving charged up cards, £2,000 on each one to criminals being deported out of this country. Now, what we're told is it does save on the cost of having them up in prisons, and it's been a long time that they've have been offering financial packages as an incentive to people who drop their claims. So the idea is they drop their claims to stay here, but they get £2,000. Yes, a lot of money, but a very bad look."

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Foreign criminals

Footage obtained by ITV News shows foreign criminals being handed credit cards with £2,000 on

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ITV NEWS

Sharing his verdict on the footage, Christopher admitted that this is the first time the "reality" of the scheme has been shown to the public.

He told GB News: "This is 50 foreign national prisoners filmed by ITV News, the first time cameras have been on board the plane. This is the reality, frankly, of trying to get foreign national offenders out of this country.

"And more will happen. The rules changed earlier this week to allow Shabana Mahmood to remove people who have served less than 30 per cent of their time here, not 50 per cent, with six staff accompanying every passenger up the stairs to preventing them from fleeing."

Christopher stated: "But the point the Government would make here is that it does save, long term, a lot of money of housing them in prison, £54,000 a year. Two grand on a card is good value, but it is shocking to see."

Martin Daubney

Martin Daubney was 'astonished' by the footage

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GB NEWS

Hitting back at Christopher, Martin fumed: "Do you know how much British prisoners get when they come out of prison? £46.

"They give them £46 and says 'off you go, son', but we give two grand to a Romanian sex offender."

Asked by Christopher if British prisoners are able to "access benefits when they get out", Martin interjected: "They're British, they are British.

"These are foreign criminals getting a two grand paycheque on a flight home. I think people look at this and think we've absolutely lost our minds."

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