Taliban’s bizarre ‘help’ offer
Nigel Farage has vowed a “legal reset” to boot out small boat migrants and in a bizarre twist, the Taliban have even offered to “help” Britain send Afghans back home.
The Reform UK boss unveiled his Operation Restoring Justice plan, promising to rip Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights and scrap the Human Rights Act. He said only by “decoupling” from international treaties could Britain deport “hundreds of thousands” of asylum seekers clogging up hotels and costing taxpayers billions.
But critics were stunned when Taliban officials hinted they’d co-operate with deportation flights – despite Afghanistan still being deemed unsafe by the UK’s own courts.
‘Outdated treaties’
Farage blasted “outdated treaties backed up by dubious courts” that stop removals, raging that “activist judges” and the “human rights industry” were tying Britain’s hands.
Reform’s blueprint would also disapply the 1951 Refugee Convention, the UN Convention Against Torture and other international agreements – a move lawyers say would have “huge consequences” for the UK’s standing in the world.
Critics hit back
The plan has triggered outrage. Labour accused Farage of “playing with fire”, while human rights groups warned Britain would join Russia and Belarus outside the ECHR.
Legal experts say ripping up so many commitments could even undermine the Good Friday Agreement and risk post-Brexit trade deals.
Political gamble
But Farage insists he’s the only one offering a “real solution”. Polls put Reform ahead of both Labour and the Tories, fuelled by anger over record small boat crossings.
He told supporters: “We will deport those here illegally. No ifs, no buts.”
The Taliban’s bizarre intervention only deepened the row – with critics branding it a “grotesque sideshow” that proves how dangerous Reform’s plans could become.
For now, the battle lines are drawn: Farage betting big on a hardline purge, his opponents warning it would shred Britain’s international reputation.
