UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has rolled out what she called the “toughest reforms Britain has ever seen” on immigration, pledging to detain and deport 150,000 illegal migrants every year under a sweeping new border plan.
In a video shared on her X account on Sunday, Badenoch introduced the Radical Borders Plan, which includes the creation of a new emovals Force—modelled after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement—to take over border enforcement.
“My message is clear: if you’re here illegally, you will be detained and deported,” she declared.
Positioning herself as a firm voice on migration, Badenoch condemned both Labour and Conservative governments for repeated failures on border control. She accused Labour in particular of overseeing “record small boat crossings” while funnelling public money into asylum accommodations.
“Successive governments have failed on immigration. Labour promised to smash the gangs. Instead, in just a year, they delivered record small boat crossings, over 50,000 illegal arrivals, 32,000 people in asylum hotels, billions wasted. It’s pure weakness. Britain needs a serious, credible plan and the backbone to deliver it,” she said.
The proposal would bar asylum claims from illegal entrants, repeal the Human Rights Act, and see the UK withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
Badenoch also promised that migrants arriving illegally would be deported within a week, with legal obstacles removed and sanctions.
