Nigel Farage revealed that pulling Britain out of a European human rights treaty would be one of the first things he would do if he becomes prime minister. The Reform UK leader was asked during an LBC phone-in what his first act would be if he entered Downing Street.
Mr Farage, whose party is leading most national opinion polls, said that quitting the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) would not be “very far from the top of the list”. He said: “I tell you what we’re going to do when we win the next election, which I believe we can, I genuinely now do believe we can, I think the appetite for change is out there. Those that don’t like us, that’s fine, but those that do like us, they’ve got an energy, enthusiasm.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during the phone-in with Nick Ferrari (Image: LBC)
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“We’re going to come in with a whole dossier full of legislation ready to go and I don’t think that the ECHR withdrawal can be very far from the top of the list.”
The ECHR has been widely blamed for the UK being unable to get a grip on the small boats crisis.
A judge from the European Court of Human Rights, which interprets the convention, stopped the first Rwanda flight when the Tories were in power.
It comes as the Labour Government is seeking to tighten the interpretation of the human rights laws in the UK.
In a speech last month, the Justice Secretary said the ECHR must be reformed as public confidence in the rule of law across the continent is “fraying”.
Shabana Mahmood told the Council of Europe in a speech in Strasbourg the ECHR “must evolve” to respond to new realities.
Nigel Farage Reveals First Thing He Will Do If He Becomes PM in LBC Phone-In
Nigel Farage has revealed what he says would be among the first priorities of a Reform UK government if he ever entered Downing Street, outlining a programme centred on restoring confidence in the political system, tightening control of Britain’s borders and changing the country’s human rights framework.
The Reform UK leader made the comments during an interview with LBC’s Nick Ferrari, in which he was asked directly whether he wanted to become Prime Minister. Farage said his interest was not in the title or status associated with the office, but in using government to pursue the political changes he believes are necessary.
Asked what he would do if he became Prime Minister, Farage immediately linked his priorities to what he described as a crisis of trust in British democracy.
He argued that voters needed to believe that their decisions at elections actually translated into political action. In his view, maintaining confidence in the democratic process is important because elections provide a peaceful mechanism for people to express dissatisfaction with those governing them.
Farage said restoring that trust would be a central priority, alongside changes to Britain’s immigration and human-rights systems.
His comments provide an insight into how the Reform leader envisages the opening period of a potential Reform government. They also show how closely his political argument remains connected to themes that have defined his career, particularly Brexit, immigration, sovereignty and dissatisfaction with established political parties.
‘Voting actually counts’
During the LBC interview, Farage argued that Britain needed to restore public confidence that voting “actually counts for anything”. He connected this to concerns about public disorder, saying that elections should function as a democratic safety valve through which citizens can express their frustrations without resorting to confrontation.
The comments came against the backdrop of political tensions surrounding immigration, public services and living standards.
For Farage, however, the issue is broader than any individual policy. He has repeatedly argued that voters have become frustrated because governments make promises during election campaigns but subsequently fail to deliver them.
That argument has become an important part of Reform UK’s political message.
The party has sought to present itself as an alternative to the Conservatives and Labour, particularly among voters who believe successive governments have failed to address issues such as immigration and the cost of living.
Farage’s LBC comments placed democratic accountability at the beginning of his proposed agenda.
Human Rights Act
Farage also identified the Human Rights Act as a major target.
He said that getting rid of the Human Rights Act would be part of the changes he would seek to make, alongside what he described as restoring proper control over Britain’s borders.
This is not a new position for Farage. Reform UK has repeatedly argued that Britain’s human-rights framework can restrict the government’s ability to implement its immigration policies.
Any attempt to repeal or replace the Human Rights Act would nevertheless involve significant legal and parliamentary questions.
The Act incorporates rights contained in the European Convention on Human Rights into UK law. Repealing it would therefore not simply be an administrative change. A future government would need to decide what domestic legal framework would replace it and how that framework would interact with Britain’s existing international obligations.
Those questions would almost certainly generate substantial political debate.
Farage’s position is that the balance needs to move towards national democratic control. Supporters of the existing framework argue that human-rights protections provide important safeguards for individuals and minorities and should not be weakened simply because governments find particular legal cases politically difficult.
The disagreement therefore goes beyond immigration and concerns the constitutional relationship between Parliament, courts and individual rights.
Immigration and border control
Border control was another central element of Farage’s answer.
He said that a Reform government would seek to re-establish what he called proper control of Britain’s borders. Immigration has been one of the defining issues for Reform UK, particularly since the party’s transformation from the Brexit Party into a broader political organisation.
Farage has repeatedly argued that legal and irregular migration have reached levels that require a fundamental change in government policy.
His proposals have included tighter immigration rules, changes to asylum arrangements and measures designed to reduce the number of people entering or remaining in Britain without the government’s approval.
The politics surrounding the issue remain highly contested.
Supporters of tighter controls argue that immigration levels put pressure on housing, public services and infrastructure. Opponents of some Reform proposals argue that Britain’s economy relies on migration in important sectors and that immigration policy needs to distinguish between different categories of migrants rather than treating migration as one single issue.
Farage’s LBC comments did not provide a complete policy programme, but they reinforced the importance of immigration to his political agenda.
Why Farage says he wants Downing Street
The interview also addressed a more personal political question: why Farage wants to become Prime Minister.
His answer was notable because he attempted to distance his ambitions from conventional political careerism.
Farage told LBC that he did not want the position simply for the office or title. Instead, he argued that he currently believed he was the person with the public support and determination necessary to challenge what he called the establishment. He also acknowledged that circumstances could change and that someone else could potentially be better equipped in the future.
That qualification is significant.
Rather than presenting leadership as a permanent personal ambition, Farage framed his candidacy around what he believes he can achieve at a particular moment.
It is consistent with his broader political narrative, in which he has portrayed himself as an outsider who entered politics to challenge established institutions.
His political career has already involved several changes of direction. He spent years campaigning for Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union before Brexit was achieved, subsequently helped develop Reform UK and eventually returned to frontline electoral politics as the MP for Clacton.
His ambition to reach Downing Street represents another stage in that political trajectory.
A potential ‘first 100 days’
Although the LBC interview focused on broad priorities rather than a detailed legislative timetable, Farage’s comments can be considered alongside Reform UK’s wider proposals for the opening months of a potential government.
In September 2026, LBC reported that Farage was expected to promise a dramatically accelerated legislative programme if Reform won the next general election. The proposed approach included Parliament sitting for seven days a week during the summer to process dozens of Bills, with Farage describing Britain as being in serious trouble and arguing that there would be no time to wait.
That proposal illustrates the scale of change Reform has discussed.
Rather than presenting a conventional programme of gradual reforms, the party has increasingly talked about using the opening period of a government to introduce a large number of measures quickly.
The practical question would be whether such an approach could pass through Parliament while meeting the normal requirements of scrutiny, debate and amendment.
The answer would depend on the parliamentary numbers produced by any future general election. The LBC interview itself does not establish what those numbers would be, and the eventual composition of Parliament cannot be assumed in advance.
From opposition to government
The significance of Farage’s comments lies partly in the fact that Reform UK has spent most of its existence as an opposition movement.
Opposition parties can promise substantial changes without having to implement them immediately. Government brings different responsibilities, including legislation, administration, international relations and the management of public services.
A Reform government would therefore have to translate broad political promises into detailed legislation and administrative decisions.
That would be particularly important on issues such as human rights and immigration, where changes could involve domestic courts, international agreements, devolved governments and existing legal commitments.
Farage’s statements provide an indication of his priorities, but they do not by themselves resolve the practical questions surrounding implementation.
The political message
The LBC interview nevertheless offered a clear summary of the political message Farage wants to take to voters.
He presented democratic trust, border control and changes to the human-rights framework as interconnected issues.
His argument is that voters should have greater confidence that elections produce meaningful political change, while governments should have greater freedom to implement the policies they were elected to pursue.
Whether voters agree with that analysis is ultimately a matter for them, but the policy direction is clear.
Farage wants Reform UK to be seen not merely as a protest movement but as a potential party of government.
That distinction is crucial.
A party seeking power must eventually explain not only what it opposes, but how it would govern. Farage’s comments on LBC were therefore significant because they moved the discussion towards what a Reform administration might actually attempt during its opening period.
The first priority he identified was not a single tax cut, a symbolic gesture or a particular ministerial appointment. Instead, he placed political trust at the centre of his argument.
From there, he connected that objective to immigration, borders and the Human Rights Act.
Those proposals would face considerable political and legal debate if a future government attempted to implement them. For now, however, they provide one of the clearest recent illustrations of how Farage describes his ambitions for Downing Street.
His message is that a Reform government would seek rapid change and a different relationship between voters, Parliament and the state.
Whether that vision gains sufficient electoral support to become government will ultimately depend on future voters and the outcome of a future general election. The LBC interview makes clear, however, that Farage is preparing his political argument around the idea that Britain requires a fundamental change in direction—and that he wants to be the person responsible for delivering it.