Farage Unveils £17 Billion Crime Plan: “We Will Take Back Control of Our Streets”
LONDON, July 21 — Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has pledged to launch a £17 billion overhaul of Britain’s justice and policing system, promising to halve crime and restore public confidence if elected prime minister.
Speaking at a press conference in London, Farage outlined an ambitious suite of law-and-order proposals — including the construction of five “Nightingale” prisons, the deportation of over 10,000 foreign criminals, and the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers. The total annual cost, estimated at £3.48 billion, would be funded by axing major infrastructure and environmental programmes such as HS2 and the government’s net zero agenda.
“If you’re a criminal, I am putting you on notice today: from 2029 or whenever that may be, either you obey the law or you will face very serious justice,” Farage warned.
The Reform leader emphasised the severity of the UK's crime crisis, accusing successive governments of allowing conditions to slip into what he described as “societal collapse.”
“People are scared of going to the shops. Scared to let their kids out,” he said. “That is a society that is degraded — and it’s happening very, very rapidly.”
Farage said that councils led by Reform UK would be required to host new prisons “if they’re the right locations,” and added that future officers would need to meet “a higher and physically tougher” standard. Among the bolder elements of his strategy: £250 million annually to rent prison spaces abroad — potentially in countries such as El Salvador, Kosovo, or Estonia — and £80 million for 100 mobile custody units in crime hotspots.
Although he mentioned ongoing discussions with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Farage acknowledged that plans to collaborate with El Salvador’s government were still speculative. While he admitted the country’s record on prison conditions might be “extreme,” he insisted that offshore detention was a “serious proposal.”
Addressing criticisms about human rights concerns in some of these nations, Farage appeared to soften his tone slightly. “People will be tried in this country,” he clarified, suggesting El Salvador was just one of several options under consideration.
When pressed on his past support for Reform MP James McMurdock — who was convicted of assaulting a former partner — Farage defended his stance, describing McMurdock as a case of genuine rehabilitation.
“He was a very good case for somebody who had gone on to live a constructive life. Do we believe in rehabilitation? Absolutely we do.”
McMurdock resigned the Reform whip earlier this month amid questions about pandemic-era financial claims.
Farage closed the press conference by declaring Reform UK the “toughest party on law and order this country has ever seen,” pledging to reclaim authority over courts, prisons, and public spaces.
“We will take back control of our streets. We will take back control of our justice system,” he said. “The British public deserve nothing less.”