Nigel Farage has confirmed he would deport female asylum seekers back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan if he becomes Prime Minister, marking a dramatic clarification of his position whilst simultaneously rowing back on his pledge to stop small boat crossings within two weeks of taking power. The Reform UK leader made the controversial statements during an interview with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby at his party’s conference in Birmingham.
When directly asked by Rigby if he would “detain” women and children and “send them back” to Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the Clacton MP responded with a clear “yes”. The confirmation represents the latest in a series of shifting positions on the issue, with Farage having previously suggested he would not send women back to the fundamentalist regime that seized power following Western military withdrawal in 2021.
For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” Farage stated during the interview, adding that the UK only has a “duty of care” towards children, such as a four-year-old arriving in a dinghy. “Children, we’ll have to think about,” he conceded, leaving their fate uncertain under his proposed policies.
The Taliban, who returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, have implemented what the International Criminal Court describes as systematic persecution of women and girls. In July 2025, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani for crimes against humanity, specifically gender-based persecution.
Since retaking control, the Taliban have banned girls from education beyond sixth grade and barred women from universities, most jobs, and public spaces including parks, gyms, and sports clubs. Women are mandated to wear face coverings in public and prohibited from travelling more than 70 kilometres without a close male relative. The United Nations has stated that Taliban policies may amount to gender apartheid.
In a startling development, a senior Taliban official told The Telegraph that the regime is “ready and willing” to work with Farage and accept deported Afghans. The spokesman in Kabul stated: “We are prepared to work with anyone who can help end the struggles of Afghan refugees, as we know many of them do not have a good life abroad.”
The Taliban representative added: “Afghanistan is home to all Afghans, and the Islamic Emirate is determined to make this country a place where everyone, those already here, those returning, or those being sent back from the West by Mr Farage or anyone else, can live with dignity.
Challenged by Rigby about his August statement that he was not “discussing” women and children, Farage claimed this referred to his desire to see men detained on arrival in the UK. At the time, he had said he was “very, very clear” on the “deportation of illegal immigrants”, adding: “We are not even discussing women and children at this stage, there are so many illegal males in Britain.
The Reform leader also dramatically backtracked on his conference pledge from just a day earlier to stop all boats within two weeks of winning government. Speaking to delegates on Friday, Farage had declared: “You cannot come here illegally and stay, we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”
However, when pressed by Rigby, he changed tack, saying “the passing of legislation” would be required first. He then claimed he had not said he would end the boats within two weeks of “winning government”, despite video footage and Reform UK’s own transcript clearly showing him making exactly that statement.
When asked why he wouldn’t be able to follow through with his initial claim, Farage admitted it was impossible, stating that “no one” can prevent small boats crossing the Channel. He said only after passing legislation would the boats be stopped within two weeks, or sooner.
Reform UK’s deportation plans would involve creating an “Illegal Migration Act” once in parliament. The agenda includes leaving the European Convention on Human Rights, shutting down asylum hotels, housing people at RAF bases instead, and beginning deportation flights. Farage claimed these measures would deter people from attempting the crossing from France.
In the 12 months to June 2025, Afghans made up 15% of small boat arrivals, the most common nationality arriving by that method, ahead of Eritreans, Iranians and Syrians. The UK has not recognised the Taliban as the legitimate government of Afghanistan since the group seized Kabul in 2021.
Reform’s Zia Yusuf said it would be “quite reasonable” to pay the Taliban to accept deported migrants, noting: “This country already gives £151 million a year to Afghanistan in the form of foreign aid. British people have had enough of their goodwill being taken advantage of.”
The party claims it could deport 600,000 asylum seekers within its first parliament if elected, requiring the deportation of 300 people daily. Reform says the plan would cost £10 billion to implement but save £7 billion currently spent on illegal migration during the first five years.
Human rights campaigners have condemned the proposals as both unethical and unworkable. Laura Smith, co-head of legal at the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, called it “nothing more than a dangerous fantasy”, adding: “Besides it being morally repugnant to send people to countries where they are at risk of torture and death, it is a mistake to consider that the government cannot do so purely because of international legal agreements.
Roberta Haslam, a partner at Bindmans LLP, said Farage’s pledge was “unworkable”, noting the cost of removing hundreds of thousands of people would be “astronomical”.
When asked about the risk of deported Afghans being killed or tortured, Farage said: “It bothers me, but what really bothers me is what is happening on the streets of our country. What really bothers me is what is happening to British citizens.”
Reform board member Gawain Towler stated bluntly: “We are responsible for the people of this country.”
The Labour government has not ruled out a returns agreement with Afghanistan. When asked about the possibility, Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s spokesperson said: “We’re not going to take anything off the table.
However, EU relations minister Nick Thomas-Symonds dismissed Reform’s proposal as “outlandish”, accusing Farage of “dividing communities and stoking anger.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch refused to confirm whether her party would pursue a returns agreement with Taliban-run Afghanistan, stating: “From what Reform has announced today, they haven’t done the thinking, they’ve just copied our homework, but they don’t understand the reasons behind them.
Reform’s entire strategy depends on winning the next general election, which Labour does not have to call until 2029. However, Farage believes the government will collapse in 2027 due to economic pressure and other factors. Reform is currently leading in some national opinion polls despite holding just five parliamentary seats.
The International Criminal Court’s recent focus on Taliban leaders for gender persecution highlights the severe human rights situation facing Afghan women. UN Women’s 2024 Afghanistan Gender Index shows that denying girls secondary education costs Afghanistan 2.5% of its GDP annually, with just one in four women working or seeking work compared to nearly 90% of men.
Human Rights Watch reported in September 2023 that the Taliban have imposed over 100 written or announced decrees severely restricting women’s rights. The organisation concluded that Taliban authorities were committing crimes against humanity through gender persecution.
Since the Taliban returned to power, only nine Afghans have been deported from Britain to Afghanistan. The Home Office stated at the time that “no one found to be at legitimate risk of persecution or serious harm will be expected to return to their country of origin.
Farage’s confirmation that he would deport women to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan represents one of the most controversial positions taken by a British political leader on asylum policy. Combined with his admission that stopping small boats is impossible without legislation, it marks a significant shift in Reform UK’s rhetoric versus reality on immigration.
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Image Credit:
Nigel Farage speaking at CPAC 2017 — photo by Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0
