Farage proposes asylum ban of up to five years if Reform UK wins election

London, United Kingdom. Nigel Farage said on Monday that a Reform UK government would halt asylum grants for up to five years if it won Britain’s next national election. The populist party’s leader presented the proposal as part of a wider immigration crackdown.

Claims and resettlement plans

Farage, who played a prominent role in the Brexit campaign, outlined the measures while speaking on England’s southern coast. He said approximately 90,000 outstanding asylum applications would be invalidated and all new applications rejected automatically.

Under his proposals, unsuccessful applicants would be sent back to their countries of origin or to a third country considered safe. Farage said countries that refused to take asylum seekers back could face tariffs, visa prohibitions or restrictions on access to British airspace.

He argued that Britain should return to what he described as normal practice by detaining and deporting people who enter illegally, saying almost every other country followed that approach.

Reform UK also said on Monday that it would end every legal asylum resettlement route. Ukrainians who sought refuge in Britain following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 would be exempt.

Election outlook and asylum figures

Britain’s next election is scheduled for 2029. Polling indicates that immigration remains British voters’ leading concern, partly reflecting frustration that successive governments have not stopped tens of thousands of people seeking asylum from reaching Britain by boat from continental Europe.

Reform UK held the lead in opinion surveys until this summer. It has since slipped to second place amid continuing police and parliamentary inquiries into its funding and Andy Burnham’s accession as Labour prime minister. The party denies violating electoral law.

Britain recorded 85,891 asylum applicants during the 12 months ending in June, down 21% from the corresponding period a year before. The largest applicant groups came from Pakistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan and Afghanistan.

Charities warn of risks

Refugee charities have warned that Farage’s deportation proposals would involve returning asylum seekers to countries including Afghanistan and Iran, where they could be exposed to persecution, torture or death.