UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pledged to deport all illegal migrants, including women and children, exceeding Reform UK’s Nigel Farage’s views on migration.
As reported by The Telegraph, Kemi Badenoch revealed plans to deport all women and children entering Britain illegally, surpassing Nigel Farage’s mass deportation policy.
Kemi Badenoch’s stance on deporting illegal migrants in Britain
The Tory leader warned that allowing illegal migrants to remain could be exploited by those acting in bad faith.
Her remarks came after Mr Farage reversed his plan to include women and children in mass deportations.
Ms Badenoch stated,
“We have said that if you come to our country illegally, then you will be deported. Now we have a plan to process people in a third country. That would include, of course, women and children, because if you start making exceptions, then you will find people finding a way to use those loopholes.”
She said,
“Of course, we want to make sure that we have an asylum system that works, but right now it is being exploited by a lot of people who are not genuine asylum seekers. They are just economic migrants, and they are taking us for a ride. It’s costing billions.”
Kemi Badenoch’s stance on withdrawing Britain from the ECHR
At the Tory conference, Kemi Badenoch is expected to announce that Britain could leave the European Convention on Human Rights.
Any change in Ms Badenoch’s stance on the treaty would occur after a review conducted by Lord Wolfson, the shadow attorney general, despite Reform’s long-standing promise to leave.
Referring to Mr Farage’s stance on the ECHR, Ms Badenoch stated,
“This is what we’ve seen again and again. ‘We’re going to leave it.’ But how? What’s going to happen to things like the Good Friday Agreement?”
She said,
“What I’m saying is we’ve got five tests. Can we deport? Can we make sure people don’t hound our veterans? Can we make sure the British citizens are first in the queue? And if we cannot, then we will have to leave the ECHR.”
Ms Badenoch added,
“We have set tests and they’re working on how to do it. Simply saying you want to do something without explaining how is not serious, and this is how we have got into a mess with Labour.”
Kemi Badenoch’s views on Tory failures on immigration
Kemi Badenoch conceded her party failed to tackle immigration, with net migration reaching nearly 1 million by June 2023.
She acknowledged it would take time for the Tories to regain public trust, stating,
“It’s going to take time for the public to trust us again. The real problem that we’re seeing is that the Labour Government that came in with a historic majority has fallen to pieces very quickly.”
She added,
“That’s what’s causing a lot of the mayhem that we’re seeing, and what I’m doing is steadying the ship, making sure the party is unified, and making sure that we show the clear direction of where we’re taking the country.”
Nigel Farage’s views on deporting women and children
Earlier this week, Nigel Farage announced his party’s mass deportation plan, which could see up to 600,000 people deported.
In response to the question about deporting women and children, he said, “Yes, women and children, everybody on arrival, will be detained.”
Speaking in Broxburn, West Lothian, on Wednesday, Mr Farage said he had been very clear that the focus was on illegal males and did not include “women or children at this stage.”
He added,
“I was very, very clear yesterday in what I said, that deportation of illegal immigrants – we are not even discussing women and children at this stage – there are so many illegal males in Britain, and the news reports that said that after my conference yesterday were wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.”
Downing Street’s stance on border security and the ECHR
A Number 10 spokesman stated,
“Border security is vital to national security, and we welcome efforts to ensure the European Convention on Human Rights is being applied correctly and allowing countries to protect their borders.”
They added,
“It’s important there is discussion on how the ECHR operates to ensure it can safeguard human rights while meeting the needs of democracies. The Prime Minister has been clear on this: it should be parliament that makes the rules on immigration and government that makes the policy.”
What sparks the row between Tories and Reform over migration?
The dispute between the Conservatives and Reform comes amid rising public anger over migration.
More than 50,000 migrants have crossed the Channel under Labour, setting a record for small boat arrivals.
In recent weeks, migrant hotels first used by the Tories for asylum seekers have become a central point for protests against illegal migration.
Last week, the High Court issued a temporary injunction to close the Bell Hotel in Epping after it became a protest hotspot.
Key facts about illegal migrants in the UK
By August 20, 2025, 27,997 migrants had crossed the English Channel in small boats, a 45% increase from 2024, with an average of 54 people per boat.
Despite rising arrivals, only 4% were returned, mostly Albanian, Turkish, and Iraqi nationals. Afghan nationals made up the largest group at 15%, followed by Eritrea, Iran, Syria, Sudan, and Vietnam.