Reform UK promises to suspend asylum system if in government

Reform UK has unveiled plans to shut down the United Kingdom's asylum system for a full parliamentary term if the party enters government. Under the proposal, all new asylum applications would be rejected and existing claims voided, with all claimants marked for deportation to effectively suspend the asylum framework.

The party stated it would scrap the asylum tribunal system that handles appeal cases, resulting in the deportation of individuals involved in more than 90,000 outstanding appeals. Furthermore, no humanitarian protection or refugee status would be granted. To shield these plans from legal challenges, Reform would withdraw the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), repeal the Human Rights Act 1998, and disapply the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Home Office staff currently overseeing asylum claims would be reassigned to review and overturn previous refugee grants. To enforce deportations, the party announced it would leverage visa bans and tariffs on goods and services against uncooperative nations, potentially targeting countries such as Pakistan, Somalia, Eritrea, Syria, Afghanistan, and Sudan.

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

"Running away from basic decency by entirely abandoning those escaping war and persecution might look to Reform like a way of winning a bidding war with other parties on the right, but the vast majority of British people will reject it as an assault on our common values."

Bridget Phillipson, Labour Chairperson

Labour chairperson Bridget Phillipson strongly criticized the proposals as a clear sign of desperation and weakness, asserting that the vast majority of the British public will reject them as an assault on shared values. Meanwhile, both the Labour and Conservative parties have also introduced their own reforms to tighten immigration control and manage small boat arrivals through alternative legal frameworks.