'Boris could deport Boris': Immigration lawyer says Becker may be deported under reforms

1 May 2022, 13:53 | Updated: 1 May 2022, 13:55

Boris (Johnson) could deport Boris (Becker) under new reforms

Immigration Lawyer Ivon Sampson tells LBC Boris Becker could be deported under new laws on the deportation of serious foreign criminals set to be announced by Boris Johnson.

It comes as Boris Johnson is set to outline an overhaul of human rights law that will lead to the automatic deportation of serious foreign criminals in the majority of cases, The Times reports.

Ministers will reduce the ability of foreign criminals to avoid being deported from the UK, in a move that some politicians believe could lead to Britain leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

This week, three-time Wimbledon champion Boris Becker was jailed for over two years for hiding £2.5 million worth of assets and loans to avoid paying his debts.

The 54-year-old pundit and former number one was convicted of transferring hundreds of thousands of pounds from his business account and failing to declare a property in his home town of Leimen, Germany.

Read more: Andrew Castle 'reeling' as his 'great mate' Boris Becker is jailed

Under new reforms, criminals will only be able to use the “narrowest possible exemption” to avoid deportation, under Article 8 of the ECHR which protects the right to a family life.

Andrew asked Immigration Lawyer Ivon Sampson: "Could Boris Becker be deported?"

"I'm not sure if he's a British citizen, but I would suspect he's not, I think he isn't... and the answer is yes, he could face automatic deportation because his sentence on his crime carried a sentence of more than 12 months," Mr Sampson said.

"So yes, he could be."

Read more: Boris Becker: Downfall of a Wimbledon legend left relying on charity handouts