The Conservative Party has announced sweeping new immigration measures, pledging to remove 750,000 people living illegally in the UK over the course of the next Parliament if it wins the upcoming general election.
The proposals, unveiled as the party gathers for its annual conference in Manchester, include a ban on anyone entering the UK without permission from ever claiming asylum, and the creation of a new “Removals Force” tasked with deporting illegal migrants “within hours or at most a few days.”
Under the plan, the current Immigration Enforcement unit would be rebranded and its annual budget doubled to £1.6 billion. The Conservatives say the expansion will be funded by closing asylum hotels, freeing up an estimated £820 million per year.
Mass Deportation Target
The party’s aim is to remove at least 150,000 people annually—five times higher than the 35,000 who left the UK last year, most of them voluntarily. Those targeted would include undocumented migrants, future illegal arrivals, and foreign nationals convicted of crimes beyond minor offences.
Conservatives argue the plan is designed to restore public confidence in Britain’s borders and “end the asylum chaos” that has dominated recent political debate.
Overhauling the Asylum System
In a radical shake-up of asylum procedures, the party says it would abolish the independent Immigration Tribunal and transfer all appeals to a new internal Home Office team. The policy document claims this will remove “the need for lawyers,” as cases will be “fairly assessed” against simplified criteria.
Legal aid for immigration and asylum cases would be scrapped, while new restrictions would narrow eligibility to those facing direct persecution from their own government. Claims based on conflict, discrimination, or restrictive religious and sexual laws would no longer qualify.
Detention facilities capable of holding 1,000 to 2,000 people before removal would also be expanded.
Departure from the ECHR
The Conservatives have confirmed they would take the UK out of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), ending a 75-year membership in order to “prevent foreign courts from blocking deportations.”
Party leader Kemi Badenoch said the reforms are underpinned by a review led by former justice minister Lord Wolfson of Tredegar. “Our plan is firm, lawful, and deliverable,” she said, adding that rival proposals from Reform UK “collapse under scrutiny.”
The move sets up a sharp contrast with the Labour government, which has ruled out leaving the ECHR but is reviewing how it applies in domestic law. Labour has also pledged to toughen measures against illegal crossings in the English Channel, including a “one in, one out” resettlement deal with France.
Political Context
The announcement comes amid poor polling figures for the Conservatives and growing pressure from Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, which has proposed similar deportation targets and a complete withdrawal from the ECHR and the Refugee Convention.
While the Conservatives stop short of exiting the 1951 Refugee Convention, they say new legislation would prevent UK courts from applying it in asylum cases. If “activist judges” overrule Parliament, the party says it would consider a full withdrawal.
The immigration crackdown forms the centrepiece of the Tories’ pre-election platform, as they seek to rally their base and reclaim ground on an issue that has dominated the political landscape since Brexit.
Source : LIIE IMMIGRATION
