Nigel Farage U-turns on Reform plan to deport women and girls after Richard Tice proposes deal with the Taliban

It comes after Reform Deputy Leader Richard Tice told LBC he is open to forming a deportation deal with the Taliban - which could include women and children.

Speaking in Edinburgh on Wednesday, Mr Farage said: “It won't be happening in the first five years of the Reform government.

“Our primary target is about women in the UK - less about the target countries. Are you on the side of British people and their safety, on the streets, on a national security level?”

Read more: 'You don’t have to like them’: Reform UK open to migrant deportation deal with Taliban

Earlier in the day, Mr Tice told Nick Ferrari "sometimes you have to do business with people that you may not like".

As part of Reform's proposed migrant policy, Mr Farage announced the party would set aside £2 billion to be used as financial incentive to foreign governments - including the Taliban - to accept returned migrants and asylum seekers.

The UK has not recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan since the group seized Kabul in 2021 and re-established a regime based on an extreme interpretation of Islamic law.

On Tuesday, The Telegraph reported a senior Taliban official say they would be "ready and willing" to work with Reform.

On Wednesday morning, the MP for Boston and Skegness told Nick: "If we want a ceasefire in Gaza, you've got to do a deal with Hamas. If you want a ceasefire in Ukraine, you've got to do a deal with Putin.

"These are not nice people. But leadership is about taking difficult decisions."

Mr Tice did not dispute whether he felt comfortable sending female asylum seekers back to Sudan where they may face rape.

"Regrettably, some of these illegal migrants who have come to this country have raped British women and British girls.

"And the role of a British government is to defend the British people.

"Sometimes you have to do business with people you may not like."

He added the UK cannot control "despotic regimes around the world".

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said the U-turn is "a classic example of Reform just announcing whatever without having done the hard thinking.

She told LBC: "A lot of what they put out was actually copying our homework, but they don't understand the reasoning behind it.

"We're doing the real serious work. They put out an announcement yesterday. We published a Bill earlier this year, a Deportation Bill, that explained how we would do it. That is what our policy is".

Speaking in Scotland, Mr Farage once again denied Reform UK has a “women problem” after forgetting the party previously had a female MP.

The party leader was in Edinburgh on Tuesday to announce the defection of Graham Simpson from the Scottish Conservatives to Reform.

He announced Mr Simpson as the party’s first MSP in Holyrood - which he isn’t.

Michelle Ballantyne previously led the party in Scotland but quit over links to a group chat that contained derogatory comments about immigrants and political figures, including Humza Yousaf and Sir Keir Starmer.

When pressed on his comments by LBC, Mr Farage denied the party is prejudiced against women.

He said: “Well, I wasn't involved with Reform at the time.

“You're right, but I wasn't involved with Reform at the time.”

He described the suggestion that shows his lack of respect for women as “nonsense.”

He said: “Don't talk nonsense. I was actually busy doing other things. I wasn't in politics at the time.

“The party was run by someone else. I can give you chapter and verse of what's happened since the 3rd of June last year.”

Reform UK has long faced allegations of having a “women problem”, which came to a head after it emerged one of its MPs had previously been jailed for attacking an ex-girlfriend.

James McMurdock has represented South Basildon and East Thurrock since last July's general election.

He won the seat by 98 votes, beating Labour into second place, and taking the seat from the Conservatives.

Earlier this year, he suspended the party whip from himself over allegations surrounding his 'business propriety during Covid pandemic'.