Nigel Farage pledges to scrap Human Rights Act to prioritise British citizens

Nigel Farage has promised to scrap the Human Rights act and deport thousands of migrants if he becomes the next prime minister. The Reform UK leader instead wants to bring in the British Bill of Rights, which would only apply to British citizens and those with the legal right to live in the UK.

It would focus on terms such as protection of liberty and free speech, with no reference to human rights. This would also mean the country leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and other international agreements. Mr Farage explained that his proposed bill would give people "the freedom to do everything, unless there’s a law that says you can’t".

He said: "The opposite to that is the concept of human rights, which are state given. We have got academics working on it. There is a huge amount to do."

The system would mean people who come to the UK would have no right to claim asylum, and be arrested and detained in facilities on former military bases.

Another "fallback" option would be to send people to British Overseas Territories, such as Ascension Island in the South Atlantic.

Britian would also have deals with the countries where most asylum seekers are coming from, and third countries to send people if they cannot return home.

Mr Farage described it as a "carrot and stick" approach that would give people six months to "self-deport" via an app. There would be a £2,500 payout from the government for doing so, as well as covering the cost of their flight.

Reform claimed this would cost £10 billion but ultimately save the government money.

This comes after Sir Keir Starmer was urged to suspend the EHCR to allow for the deportation of migrants.

Former Labour education secretary Lord Blunkett said the move would facilitate the deportation of thousands of rejected asylum seekers currently in hotels.

He urged ministers to consider the "radical" approach, pointing to Germany as an example of where it has worked previously.