Former Brexit activist Nigel Farage has presented a plan to mass deport migrants who crossed the Channel illegally if his party "Reform UK" (Reform UK) forms the next British government, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
In an interview with „The Times“, Farage said that he would withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights and conclude agreements with Afghanistan, Eritrea and other countries to repatriate illegal migrants.
„We can be nice to people, we can be nice to other countries or we can be very tough on other countries. "I mean, Trump has made that point pretty comprehensively," Farage said.
When asked if he was concerned that asylum seekers would be killed or tortured if they were sent to countries with poor human rights records, Farage said he was more concerned about the threat he believed asylum seekers posed to Britons.
“I can't be responsible for despotic regimes around the world. "But I can be responsible for the safety of women and girls on our streets," he said.
In recent weeks, Britain has seen regular small protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, prompted in part by public safety concerns after migrants were accused of sexual assault.
Large-scale opinion polls show that immigration and asylum are the biggest public concern, even ahead of the economy, and "Reform Britain", which won five seats in last year's general election, has topped the latest opinion polls.
Last year, 37,000 people, mostly from Afghanistan, Syria, Iran, Vietnam and Eritrea, arrived in Britain from France by boat. The total number of migrants has increased by a quarter compared to 2023, representing 9% of net migration into the country. About two-thirds of people who manage to reach Britain and apply for asylum are granted it, with only 3% deported, according to data analyzed by Oxford University. Farage told The Times that he would end the right of illegal arrivals to claim asylum or challenge deportations, replacing existing human rights legislation and excluding Britain from refugee treaties, citing the country's state of emergency. "The aim of this legislation is mass deportations," Farage said, adding that the massive crisis caused by asylum seekers was causing public discontent. The Times reports that Farage wants to set up detention centres for 24,000 migrants at £2.5 billion air bases, with five deportation flights a day, with the total number of deportations reaching hundreds of thousands.
If this plan fails, asylum seekers could be detained on Ascension Island, a British territory in the South Atlantic, sending a symbolic message, Farage said.