Overview

• Reform UK unveiled Operation Restoring Justice to make all small‑boat arrivals ineligible for asylum, expand detention capacity to 24,000, and withdraw from the ECHR while disapplying refugee, anti‑torture and anti‑trafficking conventions.
• Nigel Farage first said "women and children" would be detained on arrival, then said the plan would focus on illegal males for the next five years, later clarifying that single women would be deported and cases involving children would be handled separately.
• The party targets up to 600,000 removals over five years at a claimed £10bn cost, but analysts highlight current detention capacity of about 2,500 and roughly 8,200 forced deportations last year as major constraints.
• Proposed return agreements include Afghanistan, Iran and Eritrea, drawing condemnation from charities and opposition figures who call the measures unworkable and likely to breach human‑rights protections.
• Legal experts warn that abandoning international treaties could still face domestic court barriers and risks to the Good Friday Agreement, while the government offers muted criticism under pressure over rising Channel crossings.