Nigel Farage presented a stringent strategy for mass deportations today, proposing the detention of women and children and suggesting paying the Taliban to repatriate migrants. The Reform UK leader outlined a plan where 600,000 individuals could be forcibly removed from the UK within five years if his party gained power. Despite his past statement that deporting all illegal immigrants was “literally impossible,” Mr. Farage asserted his unwavering stance on the issue, proclaiming, “I am the sole party leader who has been unequivocal and consistent on this matter.”
During a speech at London Oxford Airport, Mr. Farage emphasized that anyone entering the UK illegally would face detention and deportation without exception. While acknowledging the complexity of handling children, he emphasized that all arrivals, including women and children, would be detained. The plan also included sending failed asylum seekers back to countries where they might encounter torture and authorizing immigration squads to search for asylum seekers in British towns.
Critics, including charitable organizations, accused Reform of exploiting public worries about illegal migration for political purposes. Keir Starmer’s spokesperson criticized Mr. Farage’s approach as recycling old policies, causing disorder in the asylum system. The Reform party’s “Operation Restoring Justice” proposal faced scrutiny for lacking operational details, with Mr. Farage evading questions about its practical implementation.
Under the outlined plans, Reform aimed to expand detention capacity to 24,000 individuals within 18 months at RAF bases and increase deportation flights to five per day. However, specifics such as base locations and departure points for deportation flights were not disclosed. While the party estimated a £10 billion implementation cost, it suggested savings of £7 billion in illegal migration expenses in the initial five years, escalating to £42 billion over a decade.
Reform proposed negotiating return agreements with authoritarian regimes like Iran and Afghanistan to repatriate migrants but did not address potential fallback options like Ascension Island. The party faced backlash for potentially supporting the Taliban and undermining British armed forces and Afghan civilians. The plan involved scrapping human rights laws, including exiting the European Convention on Human Rights, a move that could jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland by challenging the Good Friday Agreement.
Furthermore, Reform intended to disapply international conventions related to refugees and torture, stripping immigration tribunals and higher courts of asylum claim consideration rights. The Prime Minister’s office criticized the approach, highlighting the failures of past policies that burdened taxpayers with hotel costs and undermined security. The government stressed the need for practical solutions to alleviate pressures on public services and asylum-related expenses.
In response to the proposed measures, various organizations, including the Refugee Council and Amnesty International UK, condemned the harsh asylum policies advocated by both Reform and the government. They emphasized the importance of upholding human rights principles and establishing a fair asylum system to fulfill the UK’s international obligations.