Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has unveiled plans for a sweeping immigration enforcement initiative that would see 150,000 migrants without legal status removed from the United Kingdom each year.
Speaking at the Conservative Party conference, Badenoch outlined her proposal to establish a “Removals Force” to replace the current Home Office Immigration Enforcement unit. The new agency would operate with an annual budget of £1.6 billion, doubling the current allocation of £820 million.
Badenoch drew comparisons to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which has grown significantly under President Donald Trump’s administration, though critics have raised concerns about such enforcement models.
The Conservative leader said the unit’s primary objective would be to increase annual removals from the current figure of 34,000 to 150,000. Over the course of a parliamentary term, this would amount to approximately 750,000 removals.
“They don’t belong here. They are committing crimes. They are hurting people. I’m tired of us asking irrelevant questions about where they should go. They will go back to where they came from,” Badenoch told conference attendees.
Addressing criticism of her leadership amid falling poll numbers and poor local election results in May, Badenoch defended her approach as methodical and purposeful. She stated that the past year had been spent developing workable policy proposals.
“Nothing good comes quickly or fast. It will pay off,” she said, expressing confidence that Conservative Party members would continue supporting her direction.
The previous Conservative government oversaw record immigration numbers through both legal channels and unauthorized small boat crossings in the English Channel. Badenoch acknowledged past errors by her party but argued that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has not effectively managed immigration issues.
“We must tackle the scourge of illegal immigration into Britain and secure our borders,” Badenoch declared at the opening of the four-day conference.
Her broader immigration strategy includes a commitment to withdraw Britain from the European Convention on Human Rights, which she contends hampers deportation efforts for rejected asylum seekers.
The Conservatives presented a seven-point framework targeting unauthorized migration. Additional measures include prohibiting asylum applications from those who enter illegally, repealing the Human Rights Act, and ending legal aid for immigration proceedings.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood responded to the proposals by questioning their viability. She criticized the Conservative Party’s track record on returning failed asylum seekers, stating that Badenoch’s migration plan “lacked any credibility whatsoever.”
