Nigel Farage has vowed to deport up to 600,000 illegal migrants as the Reform UK leader set out his plan to curb Britain's Channel crossing crisis.
Speaking at a press conference in Oxfordshire, Mr Farage warned of a “genuine threat to public order” and launched Reform UK's Operation Restoring Justice.
The Clacton MP is also pledging to scale up detention capacity for asylum seekers to 24,000 and secure returns deals with a number of rogue states, including Afghanistan and Iran.
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Mr Farage said: “The mood in the country around this issue is a mix between total despair and rising anger.
“And I would say this, that without action, without somehow the contract between the Government and the people being renewed, without some trust coming back, then I fear deeply that that anger will grow.
“In fact, I think there is now, as a result of this, a genuine threat to public order.”
The Reform UK leader also stressed that the only way to stop small boat arrivals is by “detaining and deporting absolutely anyone that comes via that route”.
“And if we do that, the boats will stop coming within days, because there will be no incentive to pay a trafficker to get into this country," Mr Farage added.
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Nigel Farage (right) and Zia Yusuf at the launch of Reform UK's plan to deport asylum seekers
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Mr Farage also shed some light on how many illegal migrants could face deportation under Reform UK's plans, inviting Zia Yusuf to comment on what figure is possible.
He said: “But do we realistically think, Zia, we can deport five, 600,000 people in the lifetime of the first Parliament?”
Mr Yusuf replied: “Totally,” adding that there are “north of 650,000 adults without children who are in this country illegally”.
The announcement comes as more than 50,000 illegal migrants have arrived on British shores since Sir Keir Starmer entered No10 last July.
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Migrants reach the UK after crossing the Channel | PAThe Prime Minister's record is also on course to shatter the dismal totals mustered up by both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak.
However, Sir Keir is now hoping to send illegal migrants back to France under his "one-in, one-out" deal with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Despite signing the cross-Channel deal on August 5, a staggering 3,502 illegal migrants have reached UK shores already.
The UK is also expected to deport some 100 asylum seekers to France in the coming days.
MIGRANT CRISIS COVERAGE:
Keir Starmer open to return deals with Afghanistan and Eritrea just after Nigel Farage outlines deportation plans
|PA
During his press conference in Oxfordshire, Mr Farage also swiped at Sir Keir by accusing the Prime Minister of "colluding" with the French.
He said: "What happens is the French give them [illegal migrants] all life jackets and when they’re picked up by the border force, the border force give the life jackets back to the French so they can re-use them on the next journey.
“We are literally witnessing two governments colluding in their support of criminal activity.”
However, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch accused Mr Farage of "copying" the Tories' plan to curb Channel crossings.
She said: "Farage’s 'immigration plan' looks very familiar. We set out our Deportation Bill months ago.
Channel crossings accumulated from 2018 to 2025 | GB NEWS"He’s copied our homework but missed the lesson. At conference, we’ll show you not just the answers, but our working. That’s how we’ll build trust with the public and get real results."
Meanwhile, Sir Keir hit back at Mr Farage following his announcement.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "It's unfair on ordinary working people who pay the price from the cost of hotels to our public services struggling under the strain.
"That's why we're taking the action we are, to recognise the strength of feeling about this. The pressure that it puts on public services and that's why we're taking serious practical action to address this issue, not just returning back to the old gimmicks, the old solutions that failed to deal with this."
When asked if Sir Keir would consider striking deals with Afghanistan and Eritrea, the No10 spokesman added: “We’re not going to take anything off the table in terms of striking returns agreements with countries around the world.”