Reform UK Leader Farage Vows Mass Migrant Deportations, ECHR Exit Amid Rising Crossings
Reform UK Leader Farage Vows Mass Migrant Deportations, ECHR Exit Amid Rising Crossings
Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s hard-right Reform UK party, announced a radical plan on Tuesday to immediately detain and deport all illegal migrants, including children, should his party win the next general election. The controversial proposals, which include withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), come as the UK grapples with a significant surge in Channel crossings and escalating public frustration over asylum policies.
Addressing a press conference, Farage declared, “If you come to the U.K. illegally, you will be detained and deported and never, ever allowed to stay, period.” He described the national mood as a mix of “total despair and rising anger,” warning of a “genuine threat to public order” if no decisive action is taken. While acknowledging the complexity of dealing with children, he affirmed that “Women and children, everybody on arrival will be detained.”
Despite holding only four seats in the House of Commons, Reform UK has seen a dramatic rise in national polls, now reportedly matching or surpassing support for both the ruling Labour Party and the Conservatives. The party aims to become the dominant force on the right by the next national election, slated for no later than 2029.
Farage reiterated his long-standing rhetoric of the UK being “invaded” by migrants, promising to implement policies to mass deport hundreds of thousands of people within the first five years of government. His plan involves repealing or “disapplying” all other rights treaties to block asylum claims, vastly expanding detention facilities, and securing return deals with countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Iran.
When questioned about the potential dangers faced by asylum-seekers returned to their home countries, Farage responded, “The alternative is to do nothing… We cannot be responsible for all the sins that take place around the world.”
The announcement follows a dramatic increase in Channel crossings, with almost 29,000 people arriving by boat in 2025 so far—a 50% rise from the same period last year. On Monday alone, 659 migrants reached the UK by boat. These figures stand against a backdrop of over 111,000 asylum applications in the year up to June.
Reform UK’s hardline stance contrasts with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour government, which has abandoned the previous Conservative administration’s Rwanda plan. Instead, Starmer is focusing on a recent deal with France to return some Channel migrants and expedite asylum claim processing. Tensions over the housing of tens of thousands of asylum seekers in hotels have recently erupted into protests, fueled by a sexual assault charge against a hotel resident who appeared in court on Tuesday.
Other political parties have dismissed Reform’s proposals as lacking substance, while human rights organizations, such as Freedom from Torture, condemned them. Kolbassia Haoussou stated, “Men, women and children are coming to the U.K. looking for safety. They are fleeing the unimaginable horrors of torture… and they desperately need our protection.”
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