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The Conservative Party has announced plans to remove 750,000 individuals residing illegally in the UK within five years, contingent on winning the next general election.
As the party’s annual conference commences, the Conservatives have pledged to deny asylum claims to individuals entering the UK without prior authorization.
Furthermore, the proposals outline a system where rejected asylum seekers would be unable to challenge decisions through the courts, with appeals instead being managed by Home Office officials.
According to the Conservatives, border officials would be instructed to remove individuals “within hours or at most a few days.” The “Removals Force” unit would be reformed, with its funding doubled to £1.6 billion annually.
These announcements coincide with the gathering of Conservative activists in Manchester for their annual party conference, occurring amidst unfavorable poll ratings under the leadership of Kemi Badenoch and increasing scrutiny regarding the party’s ability to counter a potential challenge from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Prior to the four-day conference, the party indicated its intention to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after 75 years, aiming to impede asylum appeals – a widely anticipated policy shift.
Under the newly presented proposals, the Home Office’s immigration enforcement unit would be rebranded as a “Removals Force” and furnished with expanded powers, alongside an additional £820 million per year, purportedly sourced from closing asylum hotels.
The party states that the new unit would be mandated to remove at least 150,000 individuals annually, totaling 750,000 throughout a five-year parliamentary term.
This figure encompasses individuals currently residing illegally in the UK, future illegal entrants, and foreign nationals convicted of crimes exceeding minor parking or speeding violations.
This represents a significant increase from the 35,000 migrants removed from the UK in the past year, with the majority departing voluntarily.
The party has cited the United States as an inspiration, where President Trump granted immigration enforcement officers extensive new powers to apprehend and deport undocumented migrants.
The Conservatives propose instructing police forces to cross-reference the details of all arrestees with biometric borders data and permitting the use of facial recognition technology without public notification.
Plans are in place to expand an existing, unspecified “facility” to detain migrants prior to removal, accommodating between 1,000 and 2,000 individuals.
The party also intends to narrow the grounds for asylum claims to those facing governmental threats in their home country, excluding claims from individuals fleeing conflict or “less tolerant” laws pertaining to religion or sexuality.
A pivotal aspect of the proposals involves abolishing the Immigration Tribunal, which adjudicates challenges to rejected asylum claims, and entrusting the appeals process to a team of Home Office officials.
Furthermore, the Conservatives aim to eliminate taxpayer-funded legal aid in immigration cases, asserting in a document outlining the proposals that “there will be no need for lawyers” as claims would be “fairly assessed against the criteria.”
These Conservative plans follow similar pledges made by Reform UK over the summer, which included withdrawing from the ECHR and deporting 600,000 migrants within five years if elected.
Ms. Badenoch presented her party’s plans as more credible, emphasizing their support by a “comprehensive legal analysis” in the form of a review conducted by Conservative peer and former justice minister Lord Wolfson of Tredegar.
“Reform have nothing but announcements that fall apart on arrival,” she stated.
The Conservative move to potentially leave the ECHR establishes a clear divergence from the Labour government, which has opted to remain within the treaty while reviewing its application within UK law.
Labour has also pledged more stringent measures to address small boat crossings over the English Channel, which are projected to reach record numbers this year.
Labour recently outlined plans to extend the timeframe for refugees to achieve permanent settlement in the UK, aiming to diminish the country’s appeal to migrants, and has negotiated a “one in, one out” pilot scheme with France.
Unlike Reform, the Conservatives are not vowing to formally revoke the Refugee Convention, a 1951 treaty preventing signatory nations from returning refugees to countries where they face substantial threats to their life or freedom.
However, the party has stated its intention to legislate to prevent courts from considering the Convention in asylum cases, pledging to withdraw from it if “activist judges attempt to override Parliament.”
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