Reform Promises to Suspend UK Asylum System for Up to Five Years
Reform UK has unveiled plans to effectively shut down the UK's asylum system for a full parliamentary term if elected. Here's what they propose:
- Rejection of all new asylum applications and voiding of existing applications, with all claimants marked for deportation.
- No grants of humanitarian protection or refugee status.
- Termination of legal refugee routes and resettlement schemes.
- Deportation of 90,000 people with current appeal cases, arguing that "Britain is full."
Criticisms from Labour describe the proposals as a "clear sign of desperation and weakness," while the Refugee Council called them "unworkable."
Reform justifies its actions by claiming current asylum processes are costly and ineffective. They propose:
- Suspending the asylum system entirely for a full parliamentary term, usually lasting five years.
- Withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), repealing the Human Rights Act 1998, and disapplying the 1951 Refugee Convention to overcome legal challenges.
- Banning British visas for countries that refuse to accept deportation flights, including Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, and Sudan.
- Imposing tariffs on goods and services for countries with no significant legal foreign national presence in the UK.
Party leader Nigel Farage described the current situation as a "national security emergency" and promised to prioritize national security while saving the country money.