UKs Farage sets out plan for mass deportation of asylum seekers

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Britains Reform UK Party leader Nigel Farage speaks at a press conference in London, Britain, July 28, 2025. REUTERS/Jaimi Joy/File Photo

LONDON - Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage set out plans on Saturday for mass deportations of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats if his Reform UK party forms Britains next government.

In an interview with Saturdays edition of The Times newspaper, Farage said he would withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights and sign deals with Afghanistan, Eritrea and other top countries of origin to repatriate illegal migrants.

We can be nice to people, we can be nice to other countries, or we can be very tough to other countries ... I mean (U.S. President Donald) Trump has proved this point quite comprehensively, Farage said.

Asked if he was concerned that asylum seekers would be killed or tortured if they were sent to countries with poor human rights records, Farage said he was more worried about the threat he believed asylum seekers posed to Britons.

I cant be responsible for despotic regimes all over the world. But I can be responsible for the safety of women and girls on our streets, he said.

Britain has seen regular small-scale protests in recent weeks outside hotels housing asylum seekers, spurred in part by concerns about public safety after some migrants were charged with sexual assault.

Broader opinion polls show that immigration and asylum are the publics greatest concern, just ahead of the economy, and Reform UK - which won