‘I’ll deport 750,000 illegal migrants’- Kemi Badenoch

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has pledged to deport over 750,000 illegal migrants if her party returns to power, unveiling a bold, US-style “Removals Force” as the centrepiece of her new Borders Plan.

The proposed unit, inspired by Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), would be tasked with hunting down and deporting undocumented migrants in record numbers. The move, described by party insiders as “Britain’s toughest border policy yet”, marks a dramatic turn in Badenoch’s strategy as she arrives in Manchester for a make-or-break Conservative Party conference.

The seven-point Borders Plan, announced Saturday night, comes after Badenoch confirmed that a future Tory government would withdraw the UK from both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (ECAT).

According to her team, leaving both treaties would “remove legal blockades” that have long prevented deportations and enable the government to act decisively.

“We must tackle the scourge of illegal immigration into Britain and secure our borders,” Badenoch said. “That is why the Conservatives are setting out a serious and comprehensive new plan to end this crisis.”

Under her plan, the new Removals Force will replace the Home Office’s immigration enforcement teams, with funding doubled from £800 million to £1.6 billion. Its mandate: increase deportations from 34,000 to 150,000 a year — reaching 750,000 by the end of a parliamentary term.

The Tories say the initiative will be financed by shutting down costly asylum hotels and cutting into the £4.76 billion annual asylum budget.

Other highlights of the Borders Plan include:

A total ban on asylum claims for illegal entrants.

An end to legal aid and judicial reviews in immigration cases.

Deportation of all foreign criminals within a week.

New return deals with foreign governments to fast-track removals.

Visa restrictions and aid cuts for countries that refuse to take back their nationals.

Party strategists argue that banning asylum for illegal entrants would send “a clear message” that no one who arrives unlawfully can ever gain protection in the UK a deterrent effect similar to that seen under President Trump’s hardline border policies.

Still, critics have slammed the proposal as political desperation.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, Minister for EU Relations, dismissed Badenoch’s announcement as “an isolationist fantasy.”

“Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch offer the same fake fix — withdraw from the ECHR and pretend the problem disappears,” he said. “It’s the lazy politics of those out of ideas and out of their depth.”

However, Tory insiders insist the plan is “serious and deliverable.” One source said:

“We’ve spent our time in opposition forensically analysing every element of our immigration system. This isn’t about slogans — it’s about real reform.”

With Reform UK currently leading the Conservatives two-to-one in the polls, Badenoch’s hardline turn on immigration appears aimed at reclaiming her party’s right-wing base and perhaps, reviving her dwindling political momentum.