Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s anti-migration Reform UK party, unveiled a sweeping plan on Tuesday to scrap human rights protections and enable mass deportations of asylum seekers, a move he said was necessary to avert “major civil disorder.”
Farage pledged to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), repeal the Human Rights Act, and set aside other international agreements that have blocked deportation efforts.
“We are not far away from major civil disorder,” Farage told reporters. “It is an invasion, as these young men illegally break into our country.”
His remarks come amid small but persistent protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers, fuelled by safety concerns after recent criminal charges against some individuals.
Immigration has now overtaken the economy as the top public concern, opinion polls show.
Reform UK — with just four MPs but currently leading voting intention surveys — is ratcheting up pressure on Labour Prime Minister Keir Starmer to act.
Britain received a record 108,100 asylum applications in 2024, nearly 20% more than the previous year, led by arrivals from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Bangladesh.
Much of the political debate has centred on record Channel crossings by small boats.
Reform claims its proposals could allow the deportation of up to 600,000 asylum seekers during its first term in office. Asked at the press conference whether that target was realistic, senior party official Zia Yusuf replied: “Totally.”
Starmer’s government and its Conservative predecessor have both struggled to curb illegal migration. The Conservatives’ plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda was struck down by the UK’s highest court.
Reform says it would negotiate deals with countries including Afghanistan and Eritrea to take back nationals who entered Britain illegally. But government minister Matthew Pennycook dismissed the proposals as “a series of gimmicks” and warned that leaving the ECHR could undermine peace in Northern Ireland.
Farage insisted he was the only leader willing to take the “hard choices,” framing the issue as a matter of public safety versus “outdated treaties backed up by dubious courts.”
Meanwhile, Starmer has vowed to target smuggling gangs by overhauling the asylum appeals process and recruiting more enforcement officers.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars 'forever' in a so...
China’s top leadership has unveiled a new push to turn advanced technologies into large-scale industrial priorities as part of the country&rs...
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The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack o...
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
Kazakhstan has vowed to speed up its investigation into the Azerbaijan Airlines (AZAL) crash near Aktau, as mounting diplomatic pressure and geopolitical tensions push the disaster further into the international spotlight.
Shahid Motahari Sub-Speciality Hospital in northern Tehran and parts of the Golestan Palace were bombed on day two of the U.S.‑Israel strikes. AnewZ Touraj Shiralilou is in Iran's capital city and said that the facility was flattened in an airstrike.
The Kremlin is utilising the recent United States and Israeli military strikes on Iran to validate its ongoing war in Ukraine. Russian officials are pointing to the escalation in the Middle East as evidence that Western nations do not adhere to international rules.
Saudi Arabia’s state oil giant Saudi Aramco closed its Ras Tanura refinery on Monday following an Iranian drone strike, an industry source told Reuters as Tehran retaliated across the Gulf after a U.S.-Israeli attack on Iranian targets over the weekend.
The Middle East crisis intensifies after the deadly attack on the compound of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei on Saturday that killed him, other family members and senior figures. Iran has launched retaliatory strikes on U.S. targets in the region.
U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. military has enough stockpiled weapons to fight wars 'forever' in a social media post late on Monday. The remarks came hours before conflict in Iran and the Middle East entered its fourth day.
Türkiye raised its security level for Turkish-flagged vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to Level 3 on Sunday (2 March). The development follows Iranian restrictions on shipping after U.S. and Israeli strikes and confirmation of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s death.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said the United States has a “virtually unlimited supply” of munitions and is capable of sustaining military action indefinitely, as the conflict with Iran entered its fourth day.
The United Nations has called for an investigation into a deadly attack on a girls’ primary school in Iran, which Iranian officials say has killed more than 100 children. The U.S. has said its forces “would not” deliberately target a school.
U.S. first lady, Melania Trump chaired a UN Security Council meeting on children and education in conflict on Monday (2 March), a move criticised by Iran as hypocritical following U.S. and Israeli strikes that triggered a UN warning about risks to children.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 3rd of February, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney arrived in Australia on Tuesday (3 March), aiming to bolster relations between the two so-called "middle powers" amid what he has called a "rupture" in world order.
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