Farage Stirs Fresh Controversy Over Deportation of Women Asylum Seekers

Nigel Farage has reignited debate around his immigration stance after confirming he would deport female asylum seekers back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan if Reform UK wins the next general election.

The Reform leader made the remarks during an interview with Sky News at his party’s conference in Birmingham, ending days of uncertainty about his position. Asked whether women and children would be detained and “sent back,” Farage responded bluntly: “Yes.”

He did, however, add a caveat: “If a four-year-old were to arrive in a dinghy, then we have a duty of care. For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported – men and women. Children, we’ll have to think about.”

This latest statement comes after a series of mixed messages from Farage on the issue. Just weeks ago, he faced heavy criticism for saying all small boat arrivals – including women and children – would face detention. He later backtracked, saying the policy was “not even discussing women and children at this stage,” before later suggesting single women could be deported if they did not arrive with children.

At the Birmingham conference, Farage doubled down on his hardline immigration rhetoric, pledging to “stop the boats” within two weeks of Reform entering government.

“We will deport foreign criminals. I’m off to lunch with the Albanian prime minister in a few weeks – maybe I’ll book a very big plane and take a load with me,” he quipped.

Farage argued the crossings posed “a threat to national security” and “a danger to girls and women on our streets,” adding:

“You cannot come here illegally and stay – we will stop the boats within two weeks of winning government.”

Yet within 24 hours, the Reform leader softened the timeline, later clarifying that the two-week deadline applied to the passage of Reform’s proposed legislation – not its immediate enforcement. “Within two weeks of passing legislation, yes, the boats will stop,” he told Sky News.

Reform’s wider immigration agenda includes withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights and replacing the Human Rights Act with a British Bill of Rights – a process that legal experts say could take more than a year.