Farage vows to shut down UK ‘asylum scam’

The Reform UK leader has called immigration a “national security emergency,” saying Britain is in a “terrible mess” after losing control of its borders

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has unveiled a sweeping immigration crackdown plan that would suspend Britain’s asylum system for up to five years, deport tens of thousands of migrants and scrap key legal protections for asylum seekers.

Speaking at a press conference on Monday, Farage called illegal immigration a “national security emergency,” accusing successive Conservative and Labour governments of losing control of Britain’s borders.

“We’re in the most terrible mess as a country. We literally have no idea who is here,” Farage said. “There are too many people here who frankly should not be here. We need time to sort out the mess.”

The proposals, outlined in a policy document titled “Ending the Asylum Scam,” would immediately void around 90,000 pending asylum applications if Farage’s party comes to power, with claimants facing deportation to their home countries or safe third countries.

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Refugees granted asylum in the past five years would also have their cases reviewed, while new asylum claims and most refugee resettlement routes would be suspended.

The plan would also see Britain withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), repeal the Human Rights Act, pass mass deportation legislation and suspend the application of the 1951 Refugee Convention pending its reform. Countries refusing to accept deported nationals would face visa bans, flight restrictions, asset-related measures and potentially tariffs.

“We just want this to be a normal country. A country that detains and deports people that come illegally, as virtually every other country in the world does… A country that does everything it can to protect its own citizens,” Farage said. “We have to end this asylum scam.”

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He also renewed his pledge to stop illegal English Channel crossings within the first 100 days of a Reform government and portrayed the next election as crucial to restoring public trust.

Farage has long accused the British government of favoring migrants and minorities over the white working class, citing asylum policies as an example of what he calls a “two-tier system” in which “anti-white racism” is embedded in the state. His latest plan comes amid mounting tensions over immigration and crimes involving foreign nationals.

Non-British nationals accounted for 13.1% of cautions and convictions in 2024 and 12.1% of the prison population in 2025, according to official data. Last week, an Afghan refugee was ordered indefinitely detained in a psychiatric hospital over a fatal stabbing in west London. This summer, a stabbing involving a Sudanese asylum seeker in Belfast sparked anti-immigration protests and counterdemonstrations, underscoring growing divisions.

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Britain has also faced years of outrage over the notorious “grooming gangs” scandal, which exposed organized sexual abuse of minors by gangs predominantly comprising men of Pakistani origin. Longstanding failures by police and local authorities prompted a nationwide inquiry earlier this year, but public anger intensified after a Pakistani national convicted of leading a Rochdale grooming gang could not be deported under existing immigration laws.

Home Office figures show 93,525 people claimed asylum in the year ending March 2026, down 12% from the previous year, but still well above pre-2021 levels.

The next UK general election is due in 2029. Reform, which previously led opinion polls, has lately slipped behind Labour amid scrutiny of its funding and a change in Labour leadership. A recent Ipsos poll put Labour at 27% and Reform at 23%, with immigration remaining a leading concern among voters.