Politics
Reform UK's Mass Deportation Policy Faces U-Turn on Child Deportations
Reform UK's proposed mass deportation policy, aiming to remove 600,000 people from the UK, has faced a significant shift in its stance on deporting children. Initially, key architect Zia Yusuf suggested unaccompanied minors could be deported in the latter half of the five-year plan. However, party leader Nigel Farage later clarified that deporting children is "not part of our plan for the next five years," although women arriving without children would still be targeted. The policy targets adults deemed to be living illegally, including future asylum seekers crossing the English Channel. Central to the plan is "disapplying" international treaties limiting deportations to unsafe countries.
The party plans to increase detention capacity by 24,000 within 18 months and build new removal centers. £2bn has been earmarked to incentivize countries like Afghanistan and Eritrea to accept deported migrants, with British overseas territories serving as a fallback. The Liberal Democrats criticized the apparent U-turn, while Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch suggested Reform hadn't adequately prepared its policy.
The policy represents a drastic increase in the scale of UK deportations; 10,652 asylum-related returns occurred in the year to June. A record 28,288 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats this year.
Impact Statement: Reform UK's shifting stance on child deportations highlights the complexities and potential contradictions within their ambitious immigration policy. The policy's feasibility and legality remain significant questions.
