Reform would suspend asylum system for parliamentary term if in government
Reform UK has proposed suspending the asylum system for a full parliamentary term if elected, including the deportation of all current asylum seekers and withdrawal from the ECHR. The plan has faced sharp criticism from Labour and the Conservatives as extreme and impractical.
Why it matters
The proposal represents a significant shift in the UK's political discourse regarding immigration and international human rights obligations.
Image source, Getty Images By Henry Moore Published 11 minutes ago Reform UK has announced plans to close down the UK's asylum system for a full parliamentary term if it were to enter government.
The party said all new asylum applications would be rejected and existing applications voided, with all claimants marked for deportation, which Reform said would effectively suspend the asylum system.
Reform would scrap the asylum tribunal system, which hears asylum appeal cases, and claimants in more than 90,000 outstanding appeals would be deported.
It said no grants of humanitarian protection or refugee status would be made.
Labour chairperson Bridget Phillipson called the proposals a "clear sign of desperation and weakness".
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