Nigel Farage has accused Sir Keir Starmer of siding with international courts over the British people as the Reform UK leader announced his mass deportation plans for illegal migrants.
Mr Farage committed to taking Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and sidestep three international agreements he described as "roadblocks" to deporting anyone who crossed into the UK illegally, he wrote in a piece for The Telegraph.
The Reform UK leader affirmed that the proposal was "justified" under the Vienna Convention as Britain is facing “a national emergency in which uncontrolled illegal migration undermines public order”.
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The Reform UK leader affirmed that the proposal was 'justified' under the Vienna Convention
|GETTY
Mr Farage wrote: “No longer will these malign influences be allowed to frustrate deportations.
"The planes will take off, and plenty of them at that.
“The time has come to put this country first. This is all a question of priorities.
"Is Keir Starmer on the side of the British people, national security and protecting women and girls – or is he on the side of outdated international treaties and human rights lawyers?”
The Prime Minister has repeatedly affirmed that Britain will never leave the ECHR under a Labour Government led by him
| GETTYLabour hit back at Mr Farage's proposals, describing the outlined plans to use Ministry of Defence sites as detention centres for migrants awaiting deportation as “Farage’s fantasy Air Force bases”.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly affirmed that Britain will never leave the ECHR under a Labour Government led by him.
Speaking at the European Political Community summit last year, he said: “We will never withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
“I myself first read about these principles of the Convention and international law in a law library in Leeds, 40 years ago now. And that inspired me in everything I have done since then.
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Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is believed to be setting out fresh legislation seeking to limit the ability of asylum seekers to exploit Article 3 and Article 8 of the ECHR
| GETTY"I still draw strength from it and value from it everyday."
However, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is believed to be setting out fresh legislation seeking to limit the ability of asylum seekers to exploit Article 3 and Article 8 of the ECHR to block their deportations.
Amid revelations that asylum claims in Britain reached a record high of over 111,000 in the past 12 months to June, the Prime Minister has come under fire from figures over his strategy to tackle illegal migration.
Former Home Secretary, Lord Blunkett, called on the Government to take a more "radical" approach and suggested temporarily suspending the ECHR and the UN Refugee Convention to clear the backlog of more than 50,000 asylum appeals.
In his article, Mr Farage said a Reform UK government would establish a legally binding duty for the home secretary to remove illegal migrants and “failure to do so will mean breaking the law".
The party leader added: “Under these new plans, if you come to the UK illegally you will be ineligible for asylum. No ifs, no buts."
Under the proposals, a Reform UK government would attempt to sign returns deals with Afghanistan and Eritrea, alongside using third countries, such as Albania or Rwanda, and British overseas territories to accommodate migrants.
Mr Farage warned that "almost certainly" over a million people with no lawful right to remain are residing in Britain.