Nigel Farage has confirmed that, if elected prime minister, he would support the deportation of women asylum seekers to Afghanistan, even under Taliban rule.
The Reform UK leader’s stance on the issue has previously been unclear, as he had earlier indicated that women would not be returned to the fundamentalist regime.
Mr Farage made the latest remarks during an interview with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham.
When pressed on whether his policy would mean detaining women and children and sending them back, the Clacton MP responded: “Yes.”
The answer appeared to contradict comments he made in August, when he insisted he was not discussing women and children but was instead focused on the detention of men arriving in Britain.
At that time, he stressed he was “very, very clear” about wanting illegal male migrants deported, insisting reports suggesting otherwise had misrepresented his words.
Speaking today, Mr Farage argued the UK owed a “duty of care” to very young children who arrive in small boats, but not to adult women or men.
“For clarity, those who cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” he said.
He added that decisions about children would be taken separately, stating: “Children, we’ll have to think about.”
The Reform leader also modified his earlier pledge to stop all small boat crossings within two weeks of taking power.
During his conference speech, he told supporters: “You cannot come here illegally and stay – we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
However, in his discussion with Rigby, Mr Farage acknowledged that legislative changes would be necessary before such measures could be enforced.
He claimed that once new laws were in place, crossings would be halted within two weeks, or potentially sooner.
Mr Farage attempted to deny having ever promised that the boats would stop within two weeks of taking office.
But video footage and an official transcript of his speech released by Reform UK both show him committing.
Challenged on why the promise could not be delivered, Mr Farage admitted it was “impossible” to stop the boats immediately and said “no one” could prevent crossings without new legislation.
He confirmed that Reform UK’s plans would be enacted through a proposed Illegal Migration Act, which would require parliamentary approval.
The programme would include withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights, closing asylum hotels, and relocating people to disused RAF bases.
Mr Farage further claimed that deportation flights would begin within two weeks of the new law being passed, arguing that this combination of measures would act as a strong deterrent.
He also maintained that only a Reform UK government could deliver such a policy, even though Labour is not required to call a general election until 2029.
According to Mr Farage, economic pressures and political instability will cause the current government to collapse by 2027, creating an earlier path to power.
Reform UK remains significantly ahead of the Conservatives and Labour in certain opinion polls and has set its sights on next year’s local and devolved elections across England, Scotland and Wales.
The party hopes these contests will provide a stepping stone towards securing greater representation at both the council and national levels.
