UK Tories plan to cut 750,000 migrants

In a bold promise ahead of their next election, the Conservative Party says it will deport 750,000 illegal immigrants from the UK over five years if it wins. This announcement comes as part of a new “borders plan” released at their conference. It has become one of the Breaking News stories in UK politics today.

Under this plan, many changes are proposed to make deportation faster, appeals weaker, and asylum harder to claim. This is now a major topic in the Latest News and is being debated in Daily news highlights across the country.

Main Points of the Border Plan

Here are the key features the Tories say they will introduce:

1. Ban new asylum claims for illegal arrivals

• People entering the UK without permission will not be allowed to claim asylum.
• Those whose claims are rejected will not go to court — appeals will instead be handled internally by Home Office officers.
2. Faster deportation timelines

• Immigrants may be removed within hours or at most a few days, the Tories claim.
• A newly formed “Removals Force” would have its funding doubled to £1.6 billion annually.
• This force would aim to remove at least 150,000 people each year.
3. Broad scope of targets

• The plan covers people currently living illegally in the UK, new illegal arrivals, and foreign nationals convicted of crimes more serious than minor offenses.
• Some less serious offenses like parking or speeding wouldn’t trigger removal under this scheme.
4. Cutting legal routes and oversight

• The Immigration Tribunal would be abolished.
• Appeals would be handled by officials rather than courts.
• Legal aid for immigration cases would be removed, with the claim that “no lawyers are needed” because decisions would be assessed fairly by criteria set by law.

The Bigger Context

• The Tories argue their plan is similar to stricter U.S. policies, where immigration enforcement has sweeping powers.
• Police forces would check arrest details against biometric databases and could use facial recognition without public notice.
• The Conservatives also plan to expand migrant detention facilities, aiming for capacity between 1,000 and 2,000 people awaiting removal.

Another shift in their policy is withdrawing the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), allowing them to prevent courts from overturning asylum decisions based on human rights law. This is a drastic move aimed at limiting legal challenges.

Criticism & Risks

While the Conservative plan is bold, it’s already drawing heavy criticism:

• Many argue that outlawing court appeals and removing legal aid undermines fairness and human rights.
• Critics say this policy is too centralized — giving too much power to the Home Office and the executive branch.
• There is concern about how the government would implement such large-scale removals — the logistics, cost, and public backlash.
• Some observers point out that the estimated removals (750,000) far exceed the ~35,000 people actually removed in the past year. That gap raises questions about how realistic this pledge is.

Political Impact & Next Steps

This plan is a major gamble by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, especially as her party faces fierce competition from Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, who has made migration a centerpiece of his campaign.

Labour, the main opposition, opposes leaving the ECHR but is also proposing stricter measures for Channel crossings and changing the path to permanent settlement for refugees.

Observers will watch closely how the public, courts, and international bodies react if the Tories try to implement these sweeping changes. It may reshape UK immigration policy for decades.