Nigel Farage is promising one of the harshest immigration crackdowns in modern British politics, declaring that a Reform UK government would rip up international human rights agreements and remove anyone who enters the country unlawfully.
Unveiling his plans on Tuesday, the Reform UK leader said his government would leave the European Convention on Human Rights, build larger detention centers, and swiftly deport migrants arriving without authorization.
“If you come to the U.K. illegally, you will be detained and deported and never, ever allowed to stay, period,” Farage said at a press conference. He warned that unless drastic action is taken, the “mood in the country” could spiral into “a genuine threat to public order.”
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The announcement came amid rising public anger over the increasing number of Channel crossings and weeks of protests over the use of hotels to house asylum-seekers. More than 28,000 people, according to AP’s report, have crossed by boat so far this year, a 50% jump from the same period in 2024. Official data also show more than 111,000 asylum applications were filed in the year up to June.
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Although Reform UK currently controls only four seats in Parliament, the party has surged in national polls, often drawing level with or ahead of Labour and the Conservatives by tapping into frustrations over migration. Farage has long claimed the U.K. is being “invaded” and argues that migrants strain services such as housing and healthcare.
If elected, he said, Reform would not only reject the ECHR but also “disapply” other rights treaties to shut the door on asylum claims. The party is exploring deals with countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Iran to forcibly return migrants.
When asked about the possibility of deportees facing torture or persecution, Farage replied: “The alternative is to do nothing … We cannot be responsible for all the sins that take place around the world.”
His hardline stance contrasts sharply with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s approach. Starmer scrapped the Conservatives’ plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda and instead struck an agreement with France to return some Channel arrivals under a limited “one in, one out” framework. The government has also pledged to speed up asylum processing, though thousands of migrants remain housed in hotels at taxpayer expense.
That policy has become a flashpoint in recent weeks after a hotel resident was charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl, an allegation he denies. The case fueled protests and counter-demonstrations, with tensions spilling over in Epping after authorities moved to close the Bell Hotel, where migrants were being accommodated.
