Reform to announce ‘visa freeze’ for certain countries if deportees are refused
Eritrea, Sudan, Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria face the “immediate suspension of visa issuance” if they do not accept deportees, Nigel Farage's party will warn.
Reform UK will impose “visa freezes” on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria if the countries refuse to take back migrants with no legal right to stay in Britain, Zia Yusuf is expected to announce.
Listen to this article
The party’s new home affairs spokesman will unveil plans for the “immediate suspension of visa issuance” if the nations do not accept deportees, which would also apply to Eritrea, Sudan and Somalia.
Mr Yusuf is expected to outline the proposals in a speech on Monday in Dover, where he will focus on immigration, policing, national security frameworks and “cultural preservation”.
Other home affairs policies he will set out include:
– A new rule mandating automatic home searches for anyone referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme by three “separate, corroborating authorities”.
– A “vast expansion” of stop and search powers, including “saturation policing” in high-crime areas.
– Immediate listed status granted to all churches to “legally prevent their conversion into mosques or other places of worship” as part of “protecting Britain’s Christian heritage”.
The party is also pledging to replace indefinite leave to remain with a renewable five-year work visa and dedicated spouse visa and create a new agency with the capacity to detain 24,000 migrants at a time.Reform said costings would be set out at the event on Monday when asked for its calculations.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood threatened to block UK visas for citizens from some African countries over a lack of co-operation with deportations last year.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola and Namibia have all said they will take back foreign nationals after Ms Mahmood identified them as possible targets for penalties.
Ms Yusuf is expected to say: “For decades, the Tories and Labour have turned the other way while the very fabric of our society has been under assault.“The social contract has not merely been broken; it’s been shattered. Under a Reform government, His Majesty’s Parliament will be sovereign once again.
“We will secure our borders, leave the ECHR and deport those here illegally. My message to the British people is simple: I will secure our borders and make you feel safe.”Labour said Britain was a “proud, tolerant and diverse nation”, which stands in opposition to the “divisive politics stoked by Reform”.
Party chairwoman Anna Turley said: “Reform wants to divide our country, not deliver for the British people.
“Their plan to deport people who have followed the rules, worked hard and built their lives here – our friends, neighbours and colleagues – is a direct attack on settled families and fundamentally un-British.”
She added: “The British people are right to expect firm control of our borders – with clear rules about who can come here and swift action against those with no right to be here – alongside action to make our country safe – and that is what Labour is delivering.”
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said: “It is clear Reform don’t have a problem with Conservative plans as they’ve simply copied and pasted them.“Instead of coming up with their own solutions, they’re showing they are incapable of taking real action to secure our borders.”
He added: “Only the Conservatives are doing the hard work to restore order, secure our borders and protect our country.”