Foreign criminals offered free hotel stays, mental health support and help setting up businesses under Labour's return deals

The contract, which starts in April, will run for two years.

Some of the migrants could be criminals as the Home Office's contract advertisement says that the winning provider must "be committed to work with returning individuals who have been convicted in the UK criminal justice system (Foreign National Offenders)".

The scale of the taxpayer-funded support for deported migrants in their home countries is at odds with the increasingly tough line being taken by Ms Mahmood against migrants who have arrived in the UK illegally.

The fact that the contract only applies to two nations - Algeria and Sri Lanka - will prompt fears that other countries are also benefitting from the spending funded by the UK taxpayer.

The Home Office claimed the generous scheme "plays a crucial part in negotiating returns arrangements with other countries".

However, former Tory Home Office Minister Tom Pursglove told GB News: "This is frankly staggering - gold-plated support on the British taxpayer; and a package unlike that which any British citizen could ever hope to benefit from themselves."

Under the deal, deported migrants will be offered "temporary accommodation for up to five nights following arrival, transportation to an onward destination in-country [and] care and food provision packs".

They will also receive "assistance with family tracing and reunification services; and support with in-country redocumentation requirements" and help them access local services such as "housing, health services, social services support, educational support, legal services and financial services" as well as "mental health support".

Deported migrants will be offered "support with accessing the labour market" as well as "support with setting up a business, or support with accessing vocational training or support with accessing further education".

The Home Office advertisement for the contract specifically stated that the winning provider must "be committed to work with returning individuals who have been convicted in the UK criminal justice system (Foreign National Offenders)".

Mr Pursglove, who served as Legal Migration Minister under Rishi Sunak, added: "We owe nothing to these foreign criminals and illegal migrants, who have no right to be in our country and who have deliberately broken our laws.

"Rather than splurging millions to set them up for life, we should simply be detaining and removing every last one - nothing more than that. Full stop. It's the only way you'll end the small boat crossings.

"Instead, this procurement shows this Government's true instincts: all the while the Home Secretary talks tough, now we know her department is busy planning to proactively reward law-breakers, perversely encouraging more to come, and decisively failing to get a grip of our border."

A Home Office spokesman told GB News: “We are furious at the level of illegal migration to this country.

“Each asylum seeker has cost on average £30,000 per year in support. This scheme ensures migrants return to their home country, settle and don't re-enter the UK for a fraction of the price.

"The Home Secretary has introduced sweeping reforms to the immigration system and to scale up removals of those who have no right to be here.

"It helps to reduce costs for UK taxpayers while we intensify our enforcement action – with almost 50,000 removed since the election."

A Home Office source added: "This scheme plays a crucial part in negotiating returns arrangements with other countries, such as the recent Iraq Returns Agreement.

"The option for accommodation is temporary, with a maximum 5-day stay in the destination country for those with nowhere to go when they arrive.

"Close collaboration with foreign countries is essential to making returns of their citizens effective and sustainable, and we will continue working with countries worldwide to achieve this."

They added: "Re-entry bans are in place for all migrants who are returned from the UK, including 10-years for enforced removals.

"All small boat arrivals are subject to a range of checks upon arrival in the UK, including checks against immigration, law enforcement and police databases.

"The programme aims to disincentivise illegally returning to the UK by offering support for future legal migration opportunities only to a third country, and not back to the UK."