Reform UK Plans Mass Deportation of 600,000 Asylum Seekers, Faces Legal and Political Criticism

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has proposed an aggressive plan called “Operation Restoring Justice” to deport up to 600,000 asylum seekers over five years, including women and children, by securing controversial agreements with countries like Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, and the Taliban. His plan involves repealing the Human Rights Act, leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), and disapplying key refugee protections, which has drawn widespread condemnation from legal experts, human rights campaigners, and politicians who warn it would dismantle Britain’s fundamental rights and destabilize security agreements such as the Good Friday Agreement. Farage has been criticized for lacking practical details on how detention and deportation facilities would be established or how deals with repressive regimes would be achieved. The UK government and opposition leaders, including Prime Minister Keir Starmer, have dismissed Farage’s proposals as unrealistic, unlawful, and not serious, emphasizing instead the need for “serious, practical action” to manage migration concerns. Despite the backlash, Farage has warned of growing public anger and a potential threat to public order if the government fails to act on immigration. His refusal to clarify the financial and logistical aspects of the plan, alongside controversial statements on renegotiating the Good Friday Agreement, have further fueled political and legal opposition.