Reform accused of ‘direct attack on settled families’ with new migration plan

Amnesty International UK accused Reform UK of scapegoating migrants to ‘justify mass deportations and expanded police surveillance’

Reform UK has been accused of launching a “direct attack on settled families” which is “fundamentally un-British” after unveiling a swathe of new proposals to tackle immigration, including mass deportations and ramped up surveillance.

The party’s new home affairs spokesperson, Zia Yusuf, will deliver a speech setting out plans to scrap indefinite leave to remain and replace it with a renewable five-year work visa and dedicated spouse visa, as well as plans to create a new agency with the capacity to detain 24,000 migrants at a time.

The speech will also see the party outline plans for a new rule mandating automatic home searches for anyone referred to the Prevent counter-terrorism programme by three “separate, corroborating authorities”.

Mr Yusuf will also unveil a “vast expansion” of stop and search powers, including “saturation policing” in high-crime areas.

Zia Yusuf will give a speech in Dover on Monday (Reuters)

Labour hit out at the plans, saying Britain is a “proud, tolerant and diverse nation”, which stands in opposition to the “divisive politics stoked by Reform”.

Meanwhile, Amnesty International UK accused the party of scapegoating migrants to “justify mass deportations and expanded police surveillance”.

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 promise to impose “visa freezes” on Pakistan, Afghanistan and Syria if the countries refuse to take back migrants with no legal right to stay in Britain.
• 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”.
• Immediate termination of Universal Credit welfare payments to foreign nationals
• Charter flights to run five times daily, supported by a standby RAF Voyager aircraft
• Police will be stripped of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion mandates

Reform said costings would be set out at the event on Monday when asked for its calculations.

The plans for a new deportation agency would have the capacity to detain 24,000 migrants at a time and deport up to 288,000 annually, Reform said, as well as promising to run five deportation flights each day.

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.”

The attack on Tories and Labour comes despite a number of high profile defections from Kemi Badenoch’s party in recent weeks, including Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick - both of whom played key roles in the previous Conservative government and were handed spokesperson roles for Reform UK last week.

An immediate termination of Universal Credit welfare payments to foreign nationals is among the policy proposals being set out on Monday (Alamy/PA)

Responding Mr Yusuf’s upcoming speech, Labour 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.”

Meanwhile, Steve Valdez-Symonds of Amnesty International UK said:“Last week the target was the Equality Act; this week it’s the ECHR.

“We are most threatened by those who seek to strip away our basic rights and protections - not the people they scapegoat to justify mass deportations and expanded police surveillance.

“Our society is built on diversity, not monoculture. Targeting vulnerable communities in the name of security puts everyone at risk.

“True national security protects rights, upholds justice, and defends our shared humanity. Sacrificing freedoms for politics driven by fear weakens the very country we all claim to defend.”