Farage Pledges Mass Deportation of 600,000 Migrants in First Term if Elected

Published: 26 August 2025. The English Chronicle Desk

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has declared that, if elected in the next general election, he would seek to deport up to 600,000 migrants during his first term in office, in a dramatic escalation of his party’s immigration policy. Speaking at an aircraft hangar in Oxfordshire alongside senior party figure Zia Yusuf, Mr Farage unveiled “Operation Restoring Justice,” a policy blueprint designed for the mass removal of illegal migrants from the United Kingdom.

Mr Farage described the mood among the British public regarding the increasing numbers of Channel crossings as “a mix between total despair and rising anger,” suggesting that the government’s current handling of immigration poses a serious risk to public order. He stressed the urgency of implementing large-scale deportations, raising the prospect of detention centres on military sites capable of holding 24,000 people within 18 months of taking office.

The Reform UK leader also signalled plans to withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), repeal the Human Rights Act, and suspend the Refugee Convention for five years, claiming such measures were necessary to circumvent legal obstacles that, in his view, had hindered deportation efforts in the past. He stressed that the proposed policies would include negotiating return agreements with countries such as Afghanistan and Eritrea, with a reported £2 billion set aside as financial incentives to secure the cooperation of foreign governments.

A central component of the proposed reforms is a strict crackdown on visa overstayers and asylum approvals granted to individuals who remain in the country beyond their permitted stay. Mr Farage highlighted cases of visitors arriving from Pakistan and students who deliberately overstay, describing such practices as “an absolute racket” that has persisted across successive governments. He further advocated a “two-tier approach” to determining eligibility for social housing and benefits, prioritising British-born residents over recent arrivals, while making exceptions for Afghan interpreters and others who supported UK and US forces during the war in Afghanistan.

In a controversial declaration, Mr Farage confirmed that women and children arriving illegally would be detained and deported alongside adult male migrants, though he acknowledged the complexities involved in handling unaccompanied minors. His party’s plan also criminalises the deliberate destruction of identity documents upon entering the UK, punishable by up to five years in prison, and imposes a lifetime ban on individuals returning illegally after deportation.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s efficiency tsar, characterised the current treatment of illegal migrants as a system of unwarranted rewards, citing provision of hotels, meals, healthcare, and other benefits at taxpayer expense. He claimed that, over the last eight years, more migrants have crossed Britain’s shores illegally than troops stormed Normandy on D-Day, and criticised what he described as collusion between the UK and French governments in facilitating crossings. Mr Yusuf outlined the creation of a dedicated UK deportation command to identify, detain, and remove illegal migrants at scale, ensuring that no judicial or legal obstacles would delay deportation flights.

Mr Farage framed the debate over illegal migration in moral and cultural terms, questioning whether the country prioritises the safety of women and children or adherence to international treaties and judicial precedents. He argued that the majority of recent arrivals are young, undocumented males from cultures markedly different from British society, who he claims are unlikely to integrate and pose risks to public safety.

Claiming to offer a solution to what he described as a growing national crisis, Mr Farage insisted that his party is the “only party that can be trusted” to tackle illegal immigration effectively. He emphasised that Reform UK is prepared to take decisive, immediate action to restore public confidence and prevent further disorder, arguing that failure to address the situation could exacerbate public anger and threaten law and order.

With these proposals, Reform UK has presented a far-reaching and uncompromising approach to immigration, raising questions about legality, international obligations, and the balance between national security and human rights. The party’s platform is set to fuel debate in the coming months as Britain approaches its next general election, with Farage positioning himself as the political leader most willing to challenge existing frameworks and enforce strict deportation policies.