Nigel Farage demands creation of 'minister for deportations' (2025)

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Nigel Farage demanded the government create a 'minister for deportations' today as he lashed out at Labour and the Tories ahead of next week's local elections.

The Reform UK leader used a campaign speech to demandthat 'somebody somewhere in government' - which already has a Minister for Border Security - is held accountable for the matter.

Speaking in Dover with his party ahead on the opinion polls he vowed to create the post if be becomes prime minister in place of Keir Starmer after the election due in 2029.

But he also turned his fire on the Conservatives, after a senior member of Kemi Badenoch's shadow team talked up an electoral 'coalition' of the right.

Mrs Badenoch defended the remarks made by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, which were leaked to Sky News, insisting he was not suggesting the two parties join forces.

And today Mr Farage also hosed down the suggestion, saying Reform 'would be in revolt' if the party did a deal with the Conservatives.

'If I wanted to do a deal with you of any kind, I would shake your hand, look you in the eye and do that deal because I trusted you,' he said.

'I don't trust the Conservative Party in any way at all and we are going to replace them.'

It comes as next week's local elections could test whether Reform's surging poll numbers are converting into votes.

In his speech on the Kent coast, Mr Farage said: 'We will appoint – we will demand this Government does the same – that there is a minister for deportations.

'It will be part of the Home Office, but it will be a separate department within it.'

He said that 'somebody somewhere in government needs to be held accountable'.

He added: 'What I'm calling for isn't actually anything particularly radical. It's actually just common sense.

'It's what most countries in the world do: you want to go and live there, you want to go and settle there? You have to meet a set of criteria, and that country chooses, are you the right person, or are you not?'

Mr Farage also said that people who arrive in the UK 'illegally' should 'not be able to stay' and there will be 'more detailed policy on how we will actually carry out those deportations' in 'three to four weeks' time' after the local elections.

However Tory MP Ben Obese-Jecty questioned questioned whether the announcement would do anything differently.

'Interested to hear what Nigel thinks this new Minister for Deportations would do that isn’t already the responsibility of the Border Security Minister (Dame Angela Eagle)', he wrote on X.

The speech in Dover comes a day after audio was published in which former Conservative leadership candidate Mr Jenrick could be heard saying he wanted the 'fight' against Labour to be 'united' and vowing to create a 'coalition' to achieve that.

Mr Farage said that Reform 'would be in revolt' if the party did a deal with the Conservatives.

He claimed that a portion of people who backed his party at the last election could not 'put up with the level of betrayal' from the Conservative Party since 2019.

Asked whether there will be attempts to unite the right, Mr Farage said that Reform's biggest gains in next week's local elections 'are going to be in Labour voting areas' and that a 'big percentage' of their backers in last year's election 'loathe' the Tories.

Last night Mrs Badenoch told ITV's Peston programme 'there will be no pact'.

Asked is she had spoken to her shadow minister, she added: 'I saw him earlier today. And I think those remarks are being overblown.

'He's made a point that I do agree with. We lost a lot of votes to Reform. We had a very, very heavy defeat last year.

'We have to get the votes back of people we lost. And at that last election, people voted, particularly for Reform, but other parties because they didn't want Conservatives.

'That means making sure we have a centre-right offer that is compelling. And that is going to need us getting those voters back. There's nothing controversial in that.'

Nigel FarageKeir StarmerRobert JenrickLabour

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