Nigel Farage reveals plan to jail lawyers who help illegal migrants make false gay claims

George Bunn
Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:59:18 +0000

Reform UK has unveiled proposals to imprison lawyers who assist illegal migrants in fabricating claims about their sexuality to secure asylum in Britain.

Nigel Farage's party announced plans to classify the facilitation of fraudulent asylum applications as a "strict liability" criminal offence, which would carry a maximum sentence of two years behind bars.

Under this approach, prosecutors would not need to demonstrate that lawyers acted with deliberate intent when helping clients deceive immigration authorities.

The proposed legislation would align the treatment of immigration fraud with existing rules governing financial misconduct, where legal professionals and accountants already face criminal liability for enabling tax evasion or bribery.

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The announcement follows a BBC investigation that revealed law firms and advisers were demanding thousands of pounds to coach asylum seekers on how to falsely present themselves as homosexual in order to remain in the country.

Mr Farage drew parallels between dishonest accountants and immigration lawyers engaged in asylum fraud.

"If you were a corrupt accountant and you got your client to avoid paying tax that they legally should be paying, well, it's very simple, that accountant can be open to criminal charge," he told The Telegraph.

He added: "The same should happen to this industry that has now sprung up amongst our legal profession, the illegal immigration industry."

The Reform UK leader warned that lawyers providing such guidance were not merely breaking rules but potentially endangering public safety.

"If you're a lawyer giving illegal information like this to somebody, not only could that person pose a threat to women and girls or even national security, but you, as a lawyer, should yourself be subject to prosecution," Mr Farage added.

Reform UK's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf expressed outrage at the findings, describing the situation as evidence of an "illegal migration industrial complex" operating within Britain.

He noted that the investigation also uncovered advisers instructing clients to make false domestic abuse allegations, which he told GB News was "absolutely disgusting" as it meant "ruining somebody else's life in the process".

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Mr Yusuf questioned why no arrests had been made following the documentary, stating that to his knowledge "the answer is zero, because the state turns a blind eye" to systematic abuse of the asylum system.

He revealed that Reform would abolish legal aid entirely for anyone entering the country illegally or overstaying visas, highlighting that £135million in taxpayer funds had been spent on such cases over the past six-and-a-half years.

Downing Street responded to the BBC revelations, with the Prime Minister's official spokesman declaring that migrants caught lying about their sexuality would have their asylum claims cancelled and "find themselves on a one-way flight out of Britain".

Shabana Mahmood condemned those exploiting protections designed for genuine refugees, stating that sham lawyers would "face the full force of the law".

The Home Secretary said: "Anyone abusing protections for people fleeing persecution over gender or sexual orientation is beyond contempt."

Labour MP Jo White, who sits on the Commons Home Affairs Committee, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that penalties needed to be "a lot tougher" and described the networks involved as "fixer networks" operating openly.

The Bassetlaw MP pledged to raise the matter directly with Ms Mahmood.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp branded the "whole system rotten" and demanded a complete overhaul.

Director of external affairs at the Refugee Council Imran Hussain said it was "deplorable that unscrupulous advisers are exploiting desperate and vulnerable people for profit and those responsible must be held to account".

He told the BBC: "Every day in our frontline services we work with LGBTQ+ refugees from countries like Uganda and Pakistan who have faced imprisonment, violence and abuse simply for who they are, and who have come to Britain so they can live safely and openly.

"These kinds of abuses must not be used to undermine the credibility of people with genuine need for asylum."