Dover, United Kingdom. Reform UK on Monday unveiled plans it called “radical” to curb immigration, including a new agency to deport illegal migrants and the prospect of leaving human rights treaties if it wins power.
Reform UK outlines proposed measures
The populist party said it would respond to what it described as an immigration “invasion” by creating a “Deportation Command” intended to deport thousands of illegal migrants, and by leaving human rights treaties if it takes office.
Muhammad Ziauddin Yusuf, Reform’s policy chief on home affairs, described immigration levels as a “national security emergency” and compared the proposed new command to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Speaking at Dover, the main arrival point for migrants crossing the Channel from France, Yusuf said: “Our country is being invaded … Make no mistake, as Home Secretary (interior minister) I will end and indeed reverse this invasion.”
Polling context and political response
With an election due no later than August 2029, Reform, led by Nigel Farage, has been increasing its policy announcements as it seeks to persuade voters it is ready to govern. The party is ahead in opinion polls, despite holding eight lawmakers in the 650-seat parliament.
Britain’s governing Labour said it was already addressing immigration and had removed nearly 60,000 people with no legal right to remain since winning the 2024 election. Labour party chair Anna Turley said in a statement: “Reform wants to divide our country, not deliver for the British people.”
Migration figures and Channel crossings
Government data shows overall net migration to Britain fell last year, but arrivals across the Channel increased. More than 41,000 asylum seekers arrived on small boats in 2025, the second highest number on record.
Legislation and operational targets
In its most detailed account of its immigration policy to date, Yusuf said Reform would introduce an “Illegal Migration Mass Deportation Act” to compel the government to deport illegal migrants and block judges from intervening.
He said the proposed Deportation Command would be able to deport up to 288,000 annually. Yusuf said he did not expect Britain to experience a similar situation as the United States if a Reform government created the agency.
What do you think would be the main impact of creating a Deportation Command on Britain’s immigration system?