Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveiled a sweeping mass deportation plan on Tuesday, August 26, promising to implement it if the party wins the next general election. Titled Operation Restoring Justice, the plan calls for Britain to withdraw from international human rights treaties, disapply the UN Convention Against Torture, and repeal national human rights laws.
The plan’s stated goal is to “identify, detain and deport” illegal migrants. “If you come to the country illegally, you are ineligible for asylum in the UK,” the document declares, ignoring, as with other Reform UK policies, the global drivers of migration, including wars Britain continues to support. It also foresees automatic data sharing between institutions such as the Home Office, the National Health Service (NHS), and banks, raising new concerns about personal data being weaponized against migrant communities.
Read more: Should health workers work with counter terrorism agencies?
Farage and other party leaders further announced the establishment of new “removal centers” in “remote parts of the country,” where migrants would be imprisoned pending deportation. Deportations themselves would be implemented through deals with countries of origin. “A carrot and stick approach will be used. Aid will be offered as an incentive, the stick will involve the cessation of visa approvals and potentially sanctions,” the plan states.
Although the feasibility of several proposals has been questioned immediately following the presentation, the political context of the announcement is cause for alarm. Farage unveiled the plan in the midst of a new wave of far-right protests against asylum seekers housed in hotels, echoing last year’s racist demonstrations and destruction. Reform UK has consistently fueled such anti-migrant hatred. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party has failed to counter the racist discourse, instead echoing far-right narratives in an attempt to maintain political ground.
Since taking office in July 2024, Starmer has pushed austerity measures and maintained support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza, leading to a sharp decline in Labour’s popularity. Rather than break from the Conservatives’ previous trajectory, Labour has mirrored Reform UK’s anti-migrant platform. Shortly after Farage launched his plan, Starmer posted on social media: “If you come to this country illegally, you will face detention and return” – a statement offering disturbingly little distinction from Reform’s position.
Watch: Thousands rally against far-right extremism in the UK
Trade unions and anti-racist groups have denounced these trends and announced a national protest for September 13. Stand Up to Racism reacted to Farage’s claim that his policies are designed to protect women and girls, noting that many of those involved in recent anti-migrant protests have histories of domestic abuse. “These people escape condemnation from Farage alongside the far right groups and neo-Nazis that have been at the heart of stoking the racist protests and violence outside hotels housing refugees in recent weeks,” the group wrote. Residents living near these hotels have also voiced concern, saying they feel intimidated by the protests rather than the presence of asylum seekers.
Responses have also come from political figures like Jeremy Corbyn, who is working with fellow MP Zarah Sultana to launch a new left party. Corbyn has repeatedly called for a radical break from Labour’s chosen path, instead advocating for policies that address economic and social inequities through public ownership, tackling poverty, and advancing peace. “Nigel Farage needs to be very aware that we’re out there and we’re offering something different, which he can’t,” Corbyn said. “We’re offering hope.”
