Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s hard-right Reform UK party, has outlined plans to mass-deport migrants if his party wins power. The proposed policies include leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and immediately detaining and deporting anyone who arrives in the country illegally, including children.
Farage cited a rise in migrants crossing the English Channel by boat and protests over the government’s use of hotels to house asylum-seekers as reasons for his stance. He stated that if migrants arrive without authorization, they will be detained and deported, with no chance of re-entry.
The Reform party aims to displace the Conservatives as the country’s main right-wing party by 2029. Farage plans to deport hundreds of thousands of people over the first five years in government.
Farage rejected concerns about asylum-seekers being tortured or killed if sent back to their countries, saying that doing nothing is worse than taking action. The party will scale up detention facilities and secure deals with countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea, and Iran to return migrants.
The proposal echoes Germany’s tough migration policies, but has been met with criticism from rights groups and other parties. The British government is exploring alternative solutions, such as a deal with France to send some migrants back, and speeding up the processing of asylum claims.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/britain-uk-nigel-farage-migrants-immigration-081c0c64d44aebef5498f3d1fefb1534