Party pledges mass deportations, withdrawal from ECHR, and tougher border controls by 2029
The challenge of illegal migration in Britain has reached historic proportions. Since 2018, more than 180,000 migrants have crossed the English Channel illegally, pushing the estimated number of people living in the United Kingdom without legal status to over one million.
This crisis, Reform UK argues, is eroding the rule of law, draining billions in accommodation and welfare, distorting low-wage labour markets, and sending a dangerous signal to the world that Britain’s borders are wide open.
Despite repeated promises from successive governments, the issue has only worsened. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to “stop the boats” through a controversial Rwanda scheme, but not a single deportation flight ever took place. His successor, Keir Starmer, vowed to “smash the gangs” — yet since taking office, more than 51,000 migrants have crossed the Channel, an increase of nearly 50% on the previous year.
“Ordinary Britons have had enough,” Reform UK declared, pointing to recent grassroots protests as evidence of growing frustration. The party insists the only lasting solution is mass detention and deportation.
At Oxford Airport, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage announced Operation Restoring Justice, the party’s flagship immigration policy. Under a Reform government in 2029, Britain would:
●Leave the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)
●Repeal the Human Rights Act
●Pass the Illegal Migration (Mass Deportation) Bill
The bill, according to Farage, will place a legal obligation on the Home Secretary to remove all illegal migrants, making inaction itself unlawful.
Key proposals include: Immediate ineligibility for asylum claims by anyone entering the UK illegally — “no ifs, no buts.”
●Removal of the power of immigration tribunals and courts to delay deportations.
●Disapplication of international treaties, including the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UN Convention Against Torture, and the Council of Europe Anti-Trafficking Convention.
Farage argued these measures are justified under the doctrine of state necessity, citing illegal migration as a “national emergency undermining public order.” The plan, he said, would remove the influence of “activist judges and human rights lawyers” who have previously blocked deportations.
“The message will be clear: if you enter the UK illegally, you will never be allowed to stay. Planes will take off, and there will be plenty of them,” he declared.
Reform UK insists its approach is the only credible path to restoring border control and protecting national security. Farage framed the debate starkly: “Keir Starmer must decide — is he on the side of the British people, or outdated treaties and human rights lawyers? Reform UK stands firmly with the people. We will end illegal migration once and for all.”
