Reform UK Pledges Review of All Asylum Claims Since 2021, Targeting 400,000 Deportations
Reform UK has pledged an immediate review of all asylum claims from the last five years should the party win the next general election. This policy could render approximately 400,000 people liable for deportation, encompassing individuals granted asylum, those overstaying visas, and nationals from countries a Reform government would deem safe.
Nigel Farage's party has previously indicated a policy to bar anyone arriving via small boat, projecting 600,000 deportations over a five-year period under such measures. Reform also seeks the UK's withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) to streamline removals and to abolish the right to permanent settlement after five years.
Reform's home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, stated the party would 'do what it takes to restore justice' in the UK, describing current migration as an 'invasion'. He acknowledged the difficulty of these proposals but cited a lack of 'political willpower' as the reason they had not been implemented previously.
The Labour Party criticised the previous Conservative governments for current immigration levels, asserting that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood had taken 'decisive action' to reduce small boat crossings and 'restore control of our borders'. Labour claims to have prevented over 42,000 illegal migrants from crossing the Channel since the general election and removed or deported nearly 60,000 people lacking legal residency.
Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp accused Reform of copying his party's proposals 'without the detail'. He reiterated the Conservative plan to withdraw from the ECHR, ban asylum claims by 'illegal immigrants', and deport them within a week of arrival. Philp stated the Tories aim to deport 150,000 immigrants annually who have no right to be in the UK.
Liberal Democrat immigration spokesman Will Forster dismissed Reform's plans as an 'impractical farce', arguing they would exacerbate the existing asylum backlog. The Green Party urged a focus on 'basic humanity' and addressing the root causes of migration, such as conflict, poverty, and climate change, rejecting what they termed 'superficial, ill-thought-out and cruel' proposals.
