Reform UK leader pledges to suspend entire system, void 90,000 claims and scrap refugee routes if elected, drawing sharp criticism from rights groups.
Nigel Farage, leader of the populist Reform UK party, has announced plans to impose a complete five-year ban on granting asylum in Britain if his party wins the next general election, with no special exemptions for women or children fleeing conflict or persecution.
Speaking at a press conference in Hythe, Kent, on Monday, Farage declared that a Reform government would suspend the UK’s asylum system for a full parliamentary term-typically five years-as part of what he called “Operation Restoring Justice.” All new asylum applications would be automatically rejected, while the roughly 90,000 pending claims and appeals would be declared void. Claimants would be marked for deportation to their countries of origin or “safe” third countries.
“The country is currently facing a national security emergency and the first duty of government is to protect its citizens,” Farage said. “We cannot accept more asylum seekers while we still have no idea how many people are in the country illegally and the threat they pose.” He added that Britain needed to “get back to being a normal country” that detains and deports those who enter illegally.
Farage Plans UK Asylum Crackdown and Mass Deportations:
Under the proposals, the party would scrap the asylum tribunal system, end all legal refugee routes and resettlement schemes, and withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights, repeal the Human Rights Act 1998, and disapply the 1951 Refugee Convention to block legal challenges. Humanitarian protection status would also cease. Farage confirmed there would be no special treatment for women and children, arguing that allowing them entry “may well sound compassionate” but would “open the door to family reunions, to husbands coming, to partners coming… and before you know it, you’ve got lots of young men coming as well.”
Resettlement programmes recently earmarked for reopening by the Labour government-expected to include significant numbers of Palestinian refugees and Afghan women and girls fleeing Taliban rule-would be immediately closed. Existing beneficiaries of such schemes would face deportation. The only limited exception would apply to Ukrainians who arrived under schemes set up after Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion; they would be allowed to remain. Cases of anyone granted asylum in the previous five years would be reviewed, with status revoked for those from countries deemed “safe” or who entered irregularly.
Reform has pledged to deport up to one million people during its first term, targeting undocumented residents, small-boat arrivals, visa overstayers and foreign national offenders. The party said it would apply “maximum diplomatic pressure” on countries refusing to accept returnees, including visa bans, tariffs and airspace restrictions, naming Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan and Sudan as potential targets.
UK Asylum Plan Sparks Backlash Over Refugee Rights:
Labour dismissed the plans as a “clear sign of desperation and weakness.” The Refugee Council branded them “unworkable,” while other rights groups and opposition figures accused Farage of abandoning Britain’s historic tradition of offering sanctuary to those fleeing war and persecution. Critics highlighted the particular vulnerability of women and children, noting the scale of displacement from Gaza and Afghanistan and the risks of returning people to unsafe environments.
Farage’s announcement comes amid ongoing political debate over Channel crossings and asylum backlogs. Home Office figures show Britain received nearly 86,000 asylum applicants in the year to June 2026, down 21 percent from the previous year, with the largest numbers coming from Pakistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan. Reform frames the measures as essential to restore border control and prioritise British citizens; opponents warn they would violate international obligations and leave genuine refugees without protection.
As the next election approaches, the radical proposal has sharpened the divide over immigration in British politics, placing the fate of tens of thousands of asylum seekers-including families-at the centre of a deepening national debate.