Top minister savages Nigel Farage's 'empty promises' over hard line migration plan

A top minister has savaged Nigel Farage's “empty promises” after the Reform UK leader unveiled his hard line migration plan.

In a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Farage had vowed to tear up human rights laws and send people to countries where they could be at risk of imprisonment, torture or death. He also confirmed his intention to lock up women and children on arrival, as he set out plans to build huge detention centres and charter five flights a day for deportations.

Responding on Wednesday morning, Cabinet Office minister Nick Thomas-Symonds branded the plans “ completely unrealistic ”. Appearing on Sky News, he said: “What Nigel Farage does is to stoke problems and offer empty promises for their solution. Four months ago Reform promised a comprehensive detailed plan, it’s safe to say we’re still waiting for it.

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"What this government is doing is putting in place those practical plans that are going to make a difference to the boats in the English channel. There is no silver bullet to this problem, but it is this government that is putting measures in place.”

Speaking later on LBC, Mr Thomas-Symonds also pointed out the lack of detail in Reform’s plans. He said: “The reality is what we’re talking about here is just completely unrealistic.

"Nigel Farage talked about detaining people, he won’t tell you where, he was asked about what will happen with women and children, he can’t tell you the answer to that, but he’s also talking about trying to negotiate deals with countries that are very hostile to the UK.

"Let’s be frank, Nigel Farage has struggled negotiating the politics of a party that could just about fit in the back of a taxi, so forgive me for taking what was said yesterday with a pinch of salt.”

It comes as former Labour home secretary Jack Straw called on Keir Starmer to “decouple” British laws from the European Convention on Human Rights so that more migrants arriving on small boats can be deported.

Speaking to the FT, Mr Straw claimed the UK’s 1998 Human Rights Act, which he helped draft, was now being “misused” in some cases to prevent deportations. He said: “There is no doubt at all that the convention — and crucially its interpretation — is now being used in ways which were never, ever intended when the instrument was drafted in the late 40s and early 50s”.

Earlier this year the government announced a 'one-in-one-out' deal with France, which hopes to see new arrivals returned within three months of landing in Britain. In exchange people with an acceptable claim to come to the UK, who have never attempted a Channel crossing or another unauthorised route, will be sent in their place.

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