Reform UK has said it will deport anyone who arrived under Shabana Mahmood's refugee resettlement scheme if the party is elected. Nigel Farage, the leader of Reform UK, said he will "immediately end" the scheme when he announces the policy next Monday, along with several other immigration plans.
Resettlement scheme under fire
The Home Secretary reopened the UK Resettlement Scheme for new referrals on September 28, to provide "genuine refugees a safe and legal route to the UK". Around a quarter of referrals will be for Afghan women and girls and Palestinian refugees, fleeing war and persecution, Labour said.
However, speaking to The Telegraph ahead of his speech, Mr Farage said: "Britain is not obligated to take in more migrants, and under a Reform government, these people will not be able to stay." His severe plans will also revoke residents' right to remain if they are not considered to be in danger in their home country.
Scope of the plans
Nations from across the world would be affected. Migration Observatory estimates suggest between 622,000 and 820,000 non-EU citizens had settlement status at the end of 2024, which did not include the approximately 4 million EU citizens who were living in the UK before January 2021, and hold settled or pre-settled status.
Mr Farage will also announce a review of Britain's Afghan resettlement schemes and pledge to publish their costs next week. This was designed to resettle Afghan citizens who worked for or with the UK Government in exposed roles, as well as vulnerable individuals.
Tariffs and audits
Reform has also escalated plans first announced in February for Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia. Mr Farage said Reform would impose tariffs on the countries if they refused to take back illegal immigrants and foreign criminals residing in the UK, speaking to The Times.
The party originally planned to impose strict visa bans for people legally seeking to visit the UK from these countries. Reform said it believes that tariffs may be more effective. The proposed list includes several of the countries with the largest numbers of asylum seekers in the UK in recent years.
The party will also conduct an audit of migration figures and publish a detailed breakdown of the number of people who have arrived in Britain since 2010, by nationality and route of entry.
Political context
Channel crossings have fallen this year. They reached a peak of around 46,000 in 2022. In the year ending June 2026, the number of detected arrivals fell to around 33,000.
Support for Reform has plummeted amid controversy over the party's funding and a recovery in Labour's popularity thanks to Andy Burnham's arrival at Number 10. The party has fallen to second place in most polls, its lowest rating since December 2024.
