Reform UK has announced an aggressive new immigration policy that would see 600,000 migrants deported over five years if the party wins power. Party leader Nigel Farage described the proposals as the only credible way to stop small boat crossings, pledging to detain and deport anyone who enters the UK illegally. The plan, dubbed Operation Restoring Justice, includes building detention centres, striking deals with foreign nations, and leaving key international treaties. Critics have branded the policy unworkable and unrealistic.
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Operation Restoring Justice
Farage launched the deportation initiative, promising to stop small boat arrivals by immediately detaining and deporting anyone entering through that route. “If we do that, the boats will stop coming in days because there will be no incentive,” he argued. He asked Reform UK chair Zia Yusuf if it was realistic to deport up to 600,000 people in one Parliament, to which Yusuf replied, “Totally, yeah.”
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Scale of the Proposal
The reform plan would mark an unprecedented escalation of deportations, going far beyond any measures outlined by Labour or Conservatives. Yusuf claimed more than 650,000 adults are already living illegally in the UK and could be removed “promptly and efficiently,” though he admitted such figures were “counting the uncountable.” The party has promised to increase deportation charter flights to five per day and estimates the plan would cost £10bn over five years.
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Detention and Deportation
Under the proposals, new removal centres would be built in remote locations to detain up to 24,000 people within 18 months. Migrants would be arrested on arrival and held in facilities, including disused RAF bases, before deportation. Reform has suggested agreements with countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Rwanda, and Albania, as well as the possible use of British overseas territories like Ascension Island as “fallback” options if no other arrangements are reached.
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Carrot and Stick Approach
Reform UK says it would combine strict deportation rules with voluntary return incentives. Migrants choosing to leave voluntarily would be offered £2,500. Farage said this dual approach would ensure faster removals, while also easing the financial burden of asylum hotels, which the party claims will save taxpayer money long term.
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Legal Overhaul Promised
Central to the plan is a new Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill, which would create a legal duty for the Home Secretary to remove illegal migrants. It would also ban deported individuals from re-entering the UK for life. Reform pledges to leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and replace the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights applying only to UK citizens and legal residents. International treaties such as the Refugee Convention would also be “disapplied.”
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Criticism From Rivals
Labour dismissed the six-page plan as lacking detail, with chairwoman Ellie Reeves saying it offered “not a single answer to any of the practical, financial or ethical questions.” Conservatives accused Reform of copying their earlier proposals, while Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp insisted the Tories had already introduced a deportation bill. Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper called the plan unrealistic, saying it “crumbles under the most basic scrutiny.”
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Context of Small Boat Crossings
The announcement comes amid record migration numbers. Over 28,000 people have crossed the Channel in small boats this year so far, up 46% from 2024. Asylum applications have also hit record highs, with 111,000 in the year to June. Since 2020, nearly 189,000 irregular arrivals have been detected, mostly from Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Iran, and Sudan. The Labour government has pledged to target smuggling gangs and recently agreed to a “one in, one out” asylum swap scheme with France.