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Reform UK has announced plans to establish migrant detention centres specifically in constituencies that support the Green Party. This move marks a shift from the party’s earlier commitment to situate removal centres in remote locations across the country. The intention behind this strategy is to hold up to 24,000 individuals awaiting deportation within 18 months if the party comes into power.
Zia Yusuf, who serves as Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, explained that Green Party-voting areas are being targeted because of the Greens’ advocacy for what he termed “open borders.” Yusuf stated, “Given the Green Party advocate for open borders and for an infinite number of undocumented men to come here, we will prioritise Green constituencies and Green-controlled councils to locate these detention centres.” He added that this approach was intended to ensure what he called “democratic consent” for their deportation programme. Conversely, the party has ruled out placing detention centres in locations where Reform UK holds parliamentary seats or controls local councils.
The Green Party has strongly condemned Reform UK’s proposal. A spokesperson described it as a “disgusting idea,” accusing Reform of using such announcements as distractions from their broader policies. They emphasized their commitment to a “fair and managed immigration system,” acknowledging that while the current system has flaws and the UK faces demographic challenges with an aging population, they reject what they termed “performative cruelty.” Previously, the Green Party has expressed a vision of a world without borders, although their leader Zack Polanski conceded last year on Sky News that open borders are “not a pragmatic” solution in the face of global instability.
Other political figures have also voiced opposition to Reform UK’s plan. Labour Party chair Anna Turley labeled the idea a “grotesque policy,” criticizing Nigel Farage for seeking to “drive a toxic wedge between our communities” without genuine interest in reforming the immigration system. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed Reform UK as unserious, suggesting the policy seemed hastily concocted for social media impact. The Liberal Democrats’ home affairs spokesperson Max Wilkinson framed the dispute as “a squabble between two parties who don’t have the solutions to bring about a safe, fair and controlled asylum system.” Similarly, Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney called the proposal “an illustration of the dangerous nature of Reform’s politics,” while a Plaid Cymru representative condemned it as a deliberate attempt to “sow division and spread hate within our communities.”
Additionally, Reform UK intends to introduce a Mass Deportation Detention Act. This legislation would empower the home secretary to override local council objections to the establishment of detention centres. Official data suggests that building “closed” facilities to the standards used in existing immigration removal centres costs around £500,000 per bed. Applying this cost estimate to the proposed 24,000 detention spaces would result in a total expenditure of approximately £12 billion. In contrast, the Green Party’s 2024 general election manifesto calls for the abolition of immigration detention for all migrants unless they pose a risk to public safety
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