Reform UK has proposed deporting approximately 600,000 migrants over a five-year period, should the party gain power in the next general election.
Party leader Nigel Farage stated that Reform UK would bar asylum claims from individuals arriving in the UK via small boats, as part of the newly announced policy.
The party intends to allocate £2 billion in financial incentives or aid to countries, including Afghanistan, to facilitate the return of migrants, potentially imposing sanctions on nations that do not cooperate.
Labour has criticized the proposals as impractical, while the Conservatives have accused Reform UK of adopting previously announced Conservative ideas.
During the launch of “Operation Restoring Justice,” Farage asserted that the “only way” to halt small boat crossings in the English Channel is to “detain and deport absolutely anyone who comes via that route.”
He added, “If we do that, the boats will stop coming in days because there will be no incentive.”
Farage, who previously considered mass deportations a “political impossibility,” stated that his party has developed “a credible plan, so that we can deport hundreds of thousands of people over the five years of a Reform government.”
During a press conference, Farage questioned Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf about the feasibility of deporting 500,000-600,000 people within the first Parliament under a Reform UK government, to which Yusuf responded, “totally, yeah.”
Reform UK, which currently holds four parliamentary seats despite its strong performance in opinion polls, has not clarified what proportion of the deportees would be future arrivals versus those already residing in the country.
Yusuf claimed that “north of 650,000 adults” are already in the UK illegally and could be deported “promptly and efficiently.”
However, he conceded that his estimate was an attempt to “count the uncountable,” and Farage acknowledged the need for “an exercise of common sense” in implementing the policy.
Referencing Australian policies, Farage suggested that mass deportation programs could effectively deter illegal immigration to Britain “in the future.”
Reform UK’s proposed policy represents a significant increase in deportations, exceeding previously outlined plans by other political parties.
According to Home Office data, there were 10,652 asylum-related returns in the year leading up to June.
The plan involves arresting individuals upon arrival, detaining them at decommissioned RAF bases, and, pending agreements, returning them to their countries of origin, including Afghanistan and Eritrea, from which a substantial number of small boat migrants originate.
The party intends to construct removal centers in remote areas of the country, with the capacity to detain up to 24,000 individuals within 18 months.
Additionally, the party would explore housing migrants in countries such as Rwanda and Albania and consider using British overseas territories like Ascension Island as a “fallback” option for individuals awaiting deportation.
Reform UK aims to increase deportation charter flights to five per day.
A Reform UK government would offer migrants the option of voluntary return, providing £2,500 as part of a “carrot and stick approach,” according to the party.
Reform estimates the plans would cost approximately £10 billion over five years but would ultimately save the government money currently spent on asylum hotels and related expenses.
Central to the plan is the enactment of a new law titled the Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill.
Reform UK stated that the bill would legally obligate the home secretary to remove illegal migrants and permanently ban deported individuals from re-entering the UK.
The bill would also “disapply” international treaties, such as the Refugee Convention of 1951, which prevents signatory countries like the UK from returning refugees to countries where they face serious threats to their life or freedom.
To streamline removals, Reform UK pledges to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), another treaty designed to protect human rights and political freedoms.
The treaty is a fundamental component of UK human rights law and has been invoked to prevent the deportation of migrants deemed to be illegally present in the UK.
The party plans to replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights, applicable only to UK citizens and those with a legal right to reside in the UK.
These proposals could face legal challenges and political opposition, with Labour labeling them unworkable and the Conservatives accusing Reform UK of repurposing their ideas.
Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves criticized the lack of detail in the six-page plan, which Yusuf described four months ago as a “comprehensive strategy” with “a full policy document” including “a year-by-year timeline” and “clear targets.”
“Today, we got none of those things, nor a single answer to any of the practical, financial or ethical questions about how their plan would work,” she said.
“Nigel Farage can’t say where his detention centers will be, can’t say what will happen to women and children, and can’t say how he’ll convince hostile regimes like Iran to take people back.”
The Conservatives claimed that Reform UK was “reheating” previously announced and pursued plans.
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp MP stated that the Tories had already introduced a deportation bill detailing “how we would disapply the Human Rights Act from all immigration matters, and deport every illegal immigrant on arrival.”
“Months later, Reform have not done the important work necessary to get a grip on the immigration crisis and instead have produced a copy and paste of our proposals,” Philip said.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper said Reform UK’s plan “crumbles under the most basic scrutiny.”
“The idea that Reform UK is going to magic up some new places to detain people and deport them to, but don’t have a clue where those places would be, is taking the public for fools,” Cooper said.
The arrival of migrants via small boats has contributed to an increase in asylum claims in recent years, placing pressure on the UK government to address the crossings.
A record 28,288 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year to date, a 46% increase compared to the same period in 2024. A record 111,000 asylum applications were made in the year leading up to June.
UK government figures indicate that there have been 188,969 detected irregular arrivals since 2020.
These individuals predominantly arrived via small boats, with a smaller number arriving by land, air, and sea. The most common nationalities were Afghan, Syrian, Eritrean, Iranian, and Sudanese.
Since being elected in July of the previous year, Labour has pledged to address small boat crossings by “smashing” the people-smuggling gangs facilitating the crossings.
The government is also preparing to return the first migrants under a “one in, one out” pilot scheme with France, announced last month.
Ministers have not specified how many people could be sent to France under the deal, which stipulates that the UK would accept an equal number of asylum seekers who have not attempted to cross and who pass security and eligibility checks.
The Reform leader said the agreement could be renegotiated if Britain leaves the European Convention on Human Rights.
Migrants are being removed from the Park Hotel in Diss.
The future of asylum seekers at The Bell Hotel will be discussed at the Court of Appeal on Thursday.
The Home Office says 871 people crossed the Channel on small boats over the bank holiday weekend.
Phillip Curson has been granted conditional bail ahead of a case management hearing in September.