Half of Reform voters say paying Taliban to take back Afghan migrants is 'unacceptable'

Yesterday, deputy leader Richard Tice told LBC he is open to forming a deportation deal telling Nick Ferrari that "sometimes you have to do business with people that you may not like".

As part of Reform's proposed migrant policy, Nigel 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.

However, now a new poll from YouGov has found half of those who voted Reform at the last general election think that it is either “completely unacceptable” or “somewhat unacceptable” to give the regime monetary aid in order to return Afghan migrants to the country.

About a third (35%) say it is either “somewhat acceptable” or “completely acceptable”.

On Wednesday morning, the MP for Boston and Skegness told Ferrari: "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".

However, Nigel Farage later U-turned on the policy.

However, 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?”

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.

In the 12 months up to June 2025, Afghans made up 15% of small boat arrivals - the most common nationality arriving by that method ahead of Eritreans, Iranians and Syrians.

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.

But the Government does pursue a policy of "limited and pragmatic" engagement with Taliban officials through the Qatar-based UK Mission to Afghanistan when it is deemed to be in the national interest.

In July, the ICC has said there are "reasonable grounds" to believe Taliban leaders have enforced a number of restrictions on women, including barring them from many jobs, and also preventing girls over 12 accessing education.

There have also been restrictions on how far a woman can travel without a male chaperone, and decrees on them raising their voices in public.