Nigel Farage has pledged that, under Reform UK’s immigration proposals, five deportation flights would leave Britain every day. The party leader also unveiled plans to house asylum seekers in detention centres on military bases and potentially transfer some to British overseas territories, including Ascension Island. The measures form part of his blueprint for what he describes as the “mass deportation” of hundreds of thousands of people arriving in small boats. Recent figures show that more than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power just over a year ago.
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Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, has faced criticism over what opponents describe as a failure to control Britain’s borders, while anti-migrant protests have taken place in towns and cities across the country. Speaking to The Times, Mr Farage said Britain faced “a massive crisis” that posed both a national security risk and a threat to public order. He argued that the only way to deter crossings was to detain new arrivals and remove them from the UK.
Under his plan, called Operation Restoring Justice, Britain would withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and derogate from the UN Convention Against Torture alongside other international agreements. Emergency legislation, which Reform UK says it would introduce, would prevent those arriving by small boats from claiming asylum. While awaiting deportation, they would be housed in basic pre-fabricated centres on surplus RAF sites, unable to leave or apply for bail. Reform UK estimates the construction of facilities capable of holding 24,000 people would cost £2.5 billion and be completed within 18 months.
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Mr Farage also suggested reaching bilateral agreements with countries such as Afghanistan and Eritrea, as well as with Rwanda and Albania, to return or house asylum seekers. Ascension Island was mentioned as a fallback option, though a 2021 Foreign Office review found the territory unsuitable due to limited infrastructure and resources. Additional proposals include a government-run app allowing migrants to volunteer for “self-deportation” in exchange for £2,500 and a flight home. Reform UK claims the plans would cost £10 billion over five years but argues they would save money by ending the use of hotels and other accommodation, currently estimated to cost £7 billion annually.
