Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has said she would go further than Nigel Farage in tackling illegal migration, insisting that women and children who arrive unlawfully should also be deported.
Speaking to the media, Mrs Badenoch said creating exceptions for women and children would risk opening up loopholes that traffickers and economic migrants could exploit.
“We have said that if you come to our country illegally, then you will be deported,” she said. “That would include, of course, women and children, because if you start making exceptions then you will find people finding a way to use those loopholes.”
Her comments come after Mr Farage, leader of Reform UK, earlier this week when he suggested that his party’s deportation policy would apply to all arrivals, including women and children, estimating around 600,000 people could be deported over five years. However, speaking at a press conference in Broxburn, Scotland, on Wednesday, Mr Farage clarified that his party was “not even discussing women and children at this stage,” and that the focus was on illegal males.
Mrs Badenoch argued that the UK’s asylum system is being misused, claiming many arrivals are not genuine refugees but economic migrants costing the taxpayer billions.
Her firm stance is expected to be a key feature of her speech at the Conservative Party Conference in October, where she is widely anticipated to announce plans for reviewing the UK’s membership of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).
While Reform UK has long pledged to leave the ECHR, Badenoch stressed that any decision from the Conservatives would follow a formal review led by shadow attorney general Lord Wolfson.
In a pointed criticism of Mr Farage’s rhetoric, she said: “We’ve heard this again and again we’re going to leave it.’ But how? What happens to the Good Friday Agreement? We’ve set five tests, can we deport, can we protect veterans, can we prioritise British citizens? If we can’t, then we will have to leave the ECHR. But simply saying it without a plan isn’t serious politics,” she asserted
The growing tension between the Conservatives and Reform UK comes amid rising public concern over both legal and illegal immigration. More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since Labour came to power, the highest figure ever recorded in a single year.
Recall, Newdailyprime had earlier reported that the High Court ordered the closure of the Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex a government-contracted migrant facility ,following weeks of protests.
Mrs Badenoch has acknowledged the Conservatives’ past failings on immigration, conceding that net migration under the previous government peaked at nearly one million in the year to June 2023.
“We made mistakes,” she admitted. “It’s going to take time for the public to trust us again.”
Despite her efforts to reposition the party, the Conservatives are trailing in third place in recent polls, averaging 18% support. Reform UK leads with 30.5%, while Labour sits in second at 20.5%.
Mrs Badenoch concluded: “The Labour Government came in with a historic majority and has fallen to pieces in a matter of months. That’s what’s driving the chaos we’re seeing. My job now is to steady the ship, unify the party, and show the public a clear direction forward.”
Read also: Badenoch vows to cut channel crossings to zero quickly if she becomes PM
