Nigel Farage will remove people who came to the UK illegally (Image: PA/Express)
Nigel Farage will today pledge to deport 400,000 people who have been granted asylum in the UK, to reverse what Reform is calling “an invasion of Britain”. The historic promise, set to form a centrepiece of Reform’s general election campaign, will provoke a furious reaction from left-wingers and human rights campaigners.
But Reform UK leader Mr Farage and his home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, will argue that people who came to the UK illegally, or overstayed their visa, must not be allowed to remain. The party has already said that nobody who breaks immigration rules in the future will be allowed to stay, if Reform wins power. The new announcement applies to people who have already been granted asylum.
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Mr Farage will announce plans to review all asylum grants going back five years. Those who entered the country illegally, or arrived with a valid visa but then overstayed before claiming asylum, will be forced to go, along with any dependents. People granted asylum whose country of origin is now considered safe will also have to leave.
They will be given a chance to depart voluntarily, and those who remain will be deported under what Reform is calling Operation Restoring Justice.
The party estimates that this will apply to 400,000 people in total, if they form a government after a 2029 election.
Mr Yusuf said: “For years, Tory and Labour governments have presided over an invasion of Britain. They have effectively operated an open borders policy. Instead of upholding the law, they have rewarded those who broke it by entering Britain illegally.
“Reform will reverse this. Today we announce that a Reform government will review the previous five years of asylum grants, and anyone who broke into the country illegally or overstayed on another visa will be stripped of their status and deported.
“We will do what it takes to restore justice in Britain.”
Individuals on Ukrainian schemes and British National (Overseas) visas such as citizens from Hong Kong will not be affected.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to “smash the gangs” responsible for trafficking migrants across the Channel but 602 people on nine boats arrived in Dover on Saturday, the second busiest day for crossings this year.
It brought the number who have arrived in the UK so far this year to more than 6,000.
The UK has paid £478 million to France to fund attempts to stop departures, including by stepping up patrols along the French coast. An additional payment of £16.2 million was agreed last month.
But gangs charging as much as £5,000 for a place on a dinghy are making more departures from Belgium instead, in a tactic designed to evade law enforcement.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron vowed to keep up the fight against illegal immigration in a conversation last week. A No 10 spokesperson said: “The Prime Minister and president agreed on the need to continue momentum to drive down illegal crossings between France and the UK, and tackle the problem upstream working with international partners.”
Nigel Farage Vows to Deport 400,000 to End ‘Invasion of Britain’
Nigel Farage has renewed Reform UK’s tough stance on immigration, pledging a major programme of deportations as part of a wider plan to reduce illegal migration and strengthen Britain’s borders. The proposal has placed immigration once again at the centre of political debate, with Reform arguing that successive governments have failed to control the Channel crossings and manage the country’s migration system.
Farage has described the situation in highly forceful terms, referring to illegal migration across the English Channel as an “invasion of Britain”. His language reflects the central position that immigration occupies in Reform UK’s political programme. The party has argued that Britain needs a fundamental change in how it manages borders, asylum claims, deportations and immigration enforcement.
Reform UK’s current policy programme includes a five-year emergency operation called “Operation Restoring Justice”. According to the party, the plan would identify, detain and deport illegal migrants currently in the United Kingdom. It also proposes creating a dedicated UK Deportation Command and expanding detention capacity to facilitate removals.
The party has also proposed chartering as many as five deportation flights a day and negotiating return agreements with countries whose nationals are subject to removal. Reform says countries refusing to accept their nationals could face visa sanctions.
Farage’s latest intervention therefore represents more than a single campaign promise. It forms part of a broader immigration strategy that Reform has been developing over a number of years.
One of the party’s main arguments is that illegal migration has undermined public confidence in Britain’s ability to control its own borders. Reform has particularly focused on small boats crossing the Channel from France, an issue that has generated sustained political controversy.
The party’s separate “Operation Fortress” would involve deploying the Royal Navy in the Channel to intercept migrant boats. Reform says people aboard the boats would be transferred to safe vessels and returned to France or Belgium under escort.
Farage has argued that stopping the boats is essential if Britain is to prevent the continued arrival of people who enter the country without prior authorisation. He has also linked the issue to the safety of migrants themselves, pointing to the dangers of attempting to cross one of the world’s busiest shipping channels in small and often overcrowded boats.
In an August 2026 essay, Farage said a Reform government would stop the boats and send illegal migrants back. He argued that the Royal Navy should be given a direct role in intercepting crossings.
The proposed deportation programme would nevertheless be a major undertaking. Identifying individuals without legal permission to remain, establishing their identities and nationalities, resolving legal claims and securing agreements with receiving countries would require significant administrative resources.
There would also be legal questions. Reform has proposed leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and repealing the Human Rights Act as part of its immigration programme. The party argues that these changes would remove legal obstacles that it believes prevent faster deportations.
Supporters of Reform’s approach argue that a government must be able to enforce its immigration laws. From this perspective, deporting people who have no legal right to remain is presented as an essential part of restoring confidence in the border system.
Opponents take a different view. Critics have raised concerns about the practicality, cost and legal consequences of large-scale deportation programmes. Questions also arise about the treatment of people who may have entered the country irregularly but subsequently have legitimate asylum or protection claims.
Those distinctions are important because not everyone who arrives irregularly is automatically legally removable. International and domestic legal procedures can affect whether an individual can be deported and where they can safely be returned.
The debate therefore extends beyond the headline figure associated with Farage’s proposal. It concerns how Britain should balance border enforcement with asylum law, human rights obligations and practical immigration administration.
Reform’s broader immigration policy goes beyond illegal migration. The party also proposes changes to legal migration, including ending indefinite leave to remain in its current form and introducing renewable five-year visas with higher salary thresholds and additional requirements.
The party describes this as part of a move towards “net negative immigration”. Its argument is that Britain should reduce reliance on foreign labour and prioritise British citizens in employment, welfare and housing.
Farage has increasingly connected immigration with wider questions about public services and living standards. Housing availability, pressure on local services and the demand for healthcare and education are frequently cited in Reform’s arguments.
However, the relationship between immigration and public services is complex. Population growth can increase demand for services, but migrants can also contribute through employment, taxation and filling vacancies in sectors where recruitment is difficult. The economic and fiscal effects vary considerably according to migrants’ ages, employment status, skills and length of residence.
This complexity means that Reform’s proposed deportation programme would have consequences beyond immigration statistics. Removing large numbers of people could affect employers, housing demand, public services and local communities.
The question of implementation would therefore be crucial.
Reform says its proposed deportation system would use a dedicated command structure and expanded detention facilities. The party also proposes measures aimed at employers who knowingly employ illegal migrants. Under its proposed “Deliveroo Law”, company executives could face criminal liability for employing people without legal permission to work.
Farage has presented these measures as part of a broader attempt to make immigration rules enforceable. Reform’s argument is that stronger enforcement would deter future illegal migration by making it clear that entering Britain illegally would not result in permanent settlement.
This approach is closely linked to the party’s plan to stop Channel crossings. Reform argues that deportation and border enforcement must operate together: preventing new arrivals while removing those already in the country without legal status.
The political significance of the proposals is considerable. Immigration has become one of the most important issues in Britain’s political debate, particularly as Reform UK has expanded its electoral support.
The party’s rise has placed pressure on both Labour and the Conservatives. Labour has attempted to reduce irregular migration while also maintaining an asylum system consistent with its legal obligations. The Conservatives have historically advocated tougher immigration controls but have faced criticism over their record in government.
Reform has sought to distinguish itself by advocating more extensive measures, including leaving the European Convention on Human Rights and dramatically expanding deportations.
Farage’s language about an “invasion” is also politically significant. It communicates the seriousness with which Reform views illegal migration, but it is a contested description rather than a neutral classification of the Channel crossings.
The number of people arriving by small boats has increased substantially over recent years, but describing those arrivals as an invasion is a political characterisation. The UK government, opposition parties and humanitarian organisations have used different terminology when discussing the issue.
Another important question concerns the countries to which people would be returned. Deportations require receiving states to accept individuals, and some migrants may have no straightforward route back to their country of origin. Establishing agreements with foreign governments can therefore be a major part of any deportation strategy.
Reform says it would use diplomatic and economic pressure, including visa sanctions against countries that refuse to accept their nationals. The effectiveness of such measures would depend on international cooperation.
The party’s proposals also come amid a broader international debate about immigration enforcement. Farage has recently expressed admiration for the approach of Tom Homan, a senior US immigration enforcement adviser under Donald Trump, and said he wanted to bring Homan to Britain to help secure the country’s borders.
That comparison illustrates the direction of Reform’s immigration policy: greater enforcement, faster removals and a stronger emphasis on border control.
For supporters, these measures represent a response to what they regard as years of ineffective immigration policy. For critics, the proposals raise concerns about human rights, administrative feasibility and the treatment of vulnerable people.
Ultimately, the debate over Farage’s deportation pledge is not simply about a number. It concerns what kind of immigration system Britain should operate and how far a government should go in enforcing its border laws.
Reform UK’s programme is unusually extensive in its proposed use of detention, deportation and changes to human rights law. The party has made clear that these policies would form a central part of its first period in government if it were elected.
Whether such a programme could be implemented at the scale proposed would depend on legislation, parliamentary support, court decisions, international agreements, administrative capacity and the resources made available to enforcement agencies.
The issue is therefore likely to remain one of the most contested areas of British politics.
Farage’s pledge demonstrates that Reform UK intends to keep immigration at the heart of its political identity. By combining a proposed deportation programme with plans to intercept Channel crossings and reform the legal framework surrounding asylum and residency, the party is offering voters a substantially different approach from that pursued by successive governments.
The coming political debate will focus not only on whether Britain should reduce illegal migration, but also on how such reductions should be achieved, what legal safeguards should remain in place and what practical consequences large-scale deportations would have.
For Reform UK, the message is straightforward: stronger borders, fewer illegal arrivals and a much larger deportation operation. For its opponents, the questions concern legality, practicality, cost and humanitarian consequences.
Whatever position voters ultimately take, Farage’s latest pledge ensures that immigration will remain one of the defining political issues in Britain’s increasingly competitive electoral landscape.