Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Image: Getty)

Nigel Farage is preparing to unveil a sweeping crackdown on asylum, including suspending the system for five years, scrapping outstanding claims and deporting refugees admitted under existing schemes, should his party take power. The Reform UK leader is expected to announce the proposals on Monday, arguing Britain faces a national security emergency and cannot continue accepting asylum seekers while the number of people living illegally in the country remains unknown.

The plans would mark a major overhaul of the UK’s asylum system, with Reform promising to close legal routes, review existing refugee cases and put pressure on foreign governments to accept deportees. Here are the seven key changes Reform wants to introduce.

Reform would suspend the asylum system for a full parliamentary term if elected, banning anyone from being granted asylum during that period.

The party would also declare all applications currently in progress void, effectively ending the processing of outstanding claims.

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All asylum tribunals, legal refugee routes and resettlement schemes would be abolished under the proposals.

Reform says Britain has no mandate for resettlement schemes and argues that the country should not continue admitting refugees through these routes.

Around 90,000 outstanding asylum and humanitarian protection appeals would not be heard under a Reform government.

Instead, those whose cases remain unresolved would face deportation, rather than having their appeals considered by the existing tribunal system.

Reform would immediately close resettlement schemes that Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood recently said would reopen.

Around a quarter of those expected to be admitted through the schemes would be Palestinians and women and girls from Afghanistan.

The party says anyone who has already arrived in Britain through these schemes would also be deported.

Labour Chairwoman Bridget Phillipson (Image: Getty)

Refugees granted asylum in the UK during the previous five years would have their cases reviewed by the Home Office.

The proposal would subject people already granted protection to fresh scrutiny, potentially putting their right to remain in Britain at risk.

Reform has already proposed visa freezes against countries that refuse to take back their nationals who have been deported from Britain.

Countries targeted would include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia. The measures would halt new visas for their nationals, putting pressure on their governments to co-operate with removals.

The party now plans to go further against countries that cannot be pressured effectively through visa restrictions alone.

Reform would consider tariffs, sanctions and airline bans to force foreign governments to accept deportees.

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp (Image: Getty)

Mr Farage told The Telegraph: “The country is currently facing a national security emergency and the first duty of government is to protect its citizens.”

He added: “A Reform government will always put British people first and protect our borders.”

The proposals have already drawn criticism from both Labour and the Conservatives.

Labour chairwoman Bridget Phillipson described the plans as “a clear sign of desperation and weakness”, accusing Mr Farage of pursuing increasingly extreme policies.

She said abandoning people escaping war and persecution would be rejected by the British public as an assault on the country’s common values.

Shadow home secretary Chris Philp, meanwhile, argued that the proposals largely copied existing Conservative policies.

He said the Conservatives’ own BORDERS plan went further by proposing withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights and the removal of illegal immigrants within a week of arrival, alongside measures targeting modern slavery claims and judicial review loopholes.

Reform’s Full Plan for Ending the UK’s Migrant Crisis: Seven Major Changes

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK has set out an ambitious immigration crackdown, promising to overhaul the asylum system, strengthen border enforcement and make it harder for people without legal permission to remain in Britain. The proposals, announced in October 2026, represent a significant expansion of the party’s existing plans to stop small-boat crossings and deport people it considers to be living in the country illegally.

The latest announcement centres on a proposed five-year suspension of the asylum system, the cancellation of pending claims and a review of certain existing refugee decisions. Reform also wants to increase removals, restrict access to benefits for foreign nationals and put economic pressure on countries that refuse to accept their citizens back.

Farage argues that Britain faces a national security emergency and says a Reform government would prioritise border control. The party says its measures are necessary to restore public confidence in immigration enforcement. Critics, however, warn that some proposals could conflict with international protection obligations, create serious legal challenges and leave vulnerable people at risk. <Cite refs={[“turn840707search1″,”turn840707news9″,”turn840707search6”]}/>

Here are seven major changes at the heart of Reform’s proposals, and what each could mean in practice.

1. Suspend the Asylum System for Five Years

The most striking proposal is to suspend the asylum system for a full five-year parliamentary term if Reform wins the next general election.

Under the plan announced by Farage on October 12, new asylum claims would not be accepted for consideration in the usual way, while existing applications and outstanding appeals would be cancelled or treated as invalid. Reform says this would give the government time to regain control of the system and establish how many people are living in Britain without permission.

The party has also proposed reviewing people who received refugee status from 2024 onwards, with some potentially losing permission to remain if their countries of origin are judged safe.

Reform presents the suspension as an emergency measure designed to stop the accumulation of unresolved cases and reduce the incentive to travel to Britain to seek protection.

But the proposal raises fundamental questions about how the UK would meet its obligations towards people who claim they face persecution, torture or other serious harm if returned home. Refugee organisations have warned that a blanket suspension could put people at risk if their circumstances were not individually assessed.

The practical challenge would be considerable. A government would need to determine how to handle people already in the country, what would happen to families with children and how removals could proceed when a person’s identity, destination or safety remained disputed.

The announcement is a party proposal, not an implemented change in British law.

2. Cancel Outstanding Asylum Claims and Appeals

Reform also proposes cancelling approximately 90,000 pending asylum and humanitarian protection cases rather than allowing them to continue through the existing decision-making and appeal processes.

The party argues that the backlog prevents the government from exercising effective control over the system. Its plan would replace the current approach with a much more immediate emphasis on detention and removal.

However, pending cases are not all identical. Some may involve people whose claims have not yet received an initial decision, while others may involve appeals or complex questions about family circumstances, identity or the dangers applicants could face if returned.

A blanket cancellation would therefore raise questions about whether individual circumstances could still be considered and what legal remedies would remain available.

The government would also need the administrative capacity to identify people, arrange detention where lawful, obtain travel documents and secure cooperation from receiving countries. Even when a person has no right to remain, removal can be difficult if their country refuses to cooperate or their identity cannot be established.

Supporters of Reform’s approach argue that a credible removals policy is necessary if immigration rules are to carry weight. Critics counter that cancelling cases without meaningful safeguards risks removing people who qualify for protection.

The outcome would depend not only on legislation but also on how the plan was implemented and how courts interpreted the new rules.