The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has unveiled what she described as the “toughest immigration reforms in Britain’s history,” outlining plans to detain and deport at least 150,000 illegal migrants every year under a new border strategy.
In a video message posted on her X handle on Sunday, Badenoch introduced the “Radical Borders Plan,” which proposes the creation of a Removals Force — a new enforcement agency modeled after the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — to replace the current Home Office Immigration Enforcement unit.
“My message is clear: if you’re here illegally, you will be detained and deported,” Badenoch declared.
She accused successive Labour and Conservative administrations of mishandling immigration issues, saying both parties had failed to deliver a sustainable solution to illegal crossings and the asylum crisis.
“Labour promised to smash the gangs. Instead, they delivered record small boat crossings, over 50,000 illegal arrivals, and billions wasted on asylum hotels. It’s pure weakness,” she said.
“Britain needs a serious, credible plan and the backbone to deliver it.”
Under the proposed reforms, asylum claims from illegal entrants would be banned, the Human Rights Act repealed, and the UK would withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights.
Badenoch also announced that all undocumented arrivals would be deported within a week, while visa sanctions would be imposed on countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens.
The new Removals Force would also be empowered to use facial recognition technology without prior warning to identify and remove undocumented migrants.
She further promised to end the use of asylum hotels, saying the measure would save taxpayers billions and restore public trust in Britain’s border system.
“Only the Conservatives have a serious, credible plan to deliver stronger borders,” Badenoch asserted.
“If you come here illegally, you will be deported.”
However, her comment sparked controversy during an appearance on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg after she dismissed questions about where deported migrants would be sent.
“I’m tired of all these irrelevant questions about where they should go,” Badenoch responded.
“They will go back to where they should be or another country, but they should not be here.”
According to Sky News, Badenoch’s plan represents one of the most radical overhauls of the UK’s immigration system in decades, likely to intensify political debates over human rights, deportation policies, and border enforcement.
