Overview

• Stephen Cottrell said deporting small-boat arrivals en masse is un-British and beneath the nation, urging compassion and understanding.
• Reform UK’s plan seeks the removal of about 600,000 people who entered the UK on small boats if the party wins power.
• Nigel Farage says the programme would require quitting the European Convention on Human Rights, replacing the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights, striking returns deals with Afghanistan, Eritrea and Iran, and expanding detention capacity to 24,000 places.
• Farage framed the proposal as a response to public despair and rising anger over Channel crossings, warning of a potential threat to public order without action.
• After the Archbishop’s criticism, Farage said some Christian leaders are out of touch, noting that Church figures also opposed the government’s Rwanda policy in 2022.