Zia Yusuf outlines plans to tackle immigration and security challenges
Reform’s Zia Yusuf will today promise to stop Channel small boat migrants, stamp out Islamist extremism, and smash knife gangs, reports BritPanorama.
The party’s new home affairs spokesman will declare a “national security emergency” over immigration issues during a speech in Dover, Kent. He is set to criticize both Labour and the Conservatives for allegedly “turning the other way while the fabric of our society has been under assault”.
Yusuf’s blueprint includes setting up a version of the controversial US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE. The proposed UK Deportation Command could detain 24,000 illegal migrants at a time and aim to remove nearly 300,000 each year, with five deportation flights scheduled daily.
“As a result of our mass deportation programme, a Reform government will deliver net negative immigration,” Yusuf stated. Additionally, he plans to scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain, eliminate welfare payments for foreigners, and freeze visas for countries that refuse to accept deportees.
On the issue of extremism, Mr Yusuf would seek to proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood and overhaul the Prevent counter-terror strategy to tackle what he describes as “real threats”. He expressed intentions to protect Britain’s Christian heritage and prevent the conversion of churches into mosques.
Addressing the need for better policing, he asserted that officers should refocus efforts on catching criminals rather than engaging in social media trends. He will advocate for tougher stop and search powers as well as saturation patrols in order to combat Britain’s knife crime epidemic.
Finally, he pledged to initiate a significant prison-building campaign, aimed at the “fastest rate of our lifetimes.” In response, Labour has criticized Reform’s plans, emphasizing that Britain is a “proud, tolerant and diverse nation” that stands in opposition to the “divisive politics stoked by Reform”.
This series of proposals signifies a far-reaching shift in the political landscape, positioning national security and immigration as central issues ahead of upcoming elections.
