Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has announced a large-scale deportation plan. This controversial policy aims to remove hundreds of thousands of people. The party believes it will stop small boat crossings for good.
Reform UK recently unveiled its new immigration strategy. Consequently, the plan has sparked intense political debate. The party calls its proposal “Operation Restoring Justice.” Essentially, it involves detaining and deporting illegal migrants.
Firstly, the policy would bar asylum claims from small boat arrivals. Instead, officials would arrest these individuals on arrival. Then, they would detain them at disused RAF bases. Furthermore, the party proposes building new removal centers.
Nigel Farage insists this approach is the only solution. He says it will remove the incentive to cross. Therefore, the dangerous boat journeys would supposedly end within days. This large-scale deportation plan targets up to 600,000 people over five years.
Moreover, the party chair, Zia Yusuf, supports this goal. He called the deportation figure “totally” realistic. However, he admitted estimating illegal numbers is difficult. He described it as trying to “count the uncountable.”
Critically, executing this plan requires leaving international treaties. Reform UK promises to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. Additionally, it would disregard the 1951 Refugee Convention. The party says it will replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights.
The proposed Illegal Migration Bill is central to this. It would create a legal duty for the Home Secretary. This duty would be to remove all illegal migrants. It would also impose lifetime bans on re-entry for those deported.
Financially, the party estimates a cost of £10 billion. However, they argue this will save money long-term. For example, it would reduce spending on asylum hotels. The plan also offers a £2,500 voluntary return payment.
Political opposition to the plan is fierce. Labour’s Ellie Reeves criticized the lack of detail. She said the plan fails to address practicalities. She also questioned how they would deal with hostile regimes.
The Conservatives accused Reform of copying their ideas. They said the party is simply “reheating” existing Conservative proposals. The Liberal Democrats said the idea “crumbles under the most basic scrutiny.”
Ultimately, implementing this large-scale deportation plan would be a huge undertaking. Last year, asylum-related returns numbered around 10,652. Reform’s plan would require a massive increase in capacity and international cooperation. The future of this proposal remains highly uncertain.
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