Politics Weekly UK No going back: Nigel Farage’s immigration plan
Aug 27, 2025
In this engaging discussion, Jessica Elgot, deputy political editor for The Guardian, provides insightful analysis of Nigel Farage's explosive immigration plans, which propose the deportation of hundreds of thousands of migrants. The conversation tackles the normalization of incendiary rhetoric surrounding immigration and its political implications. Elgot unpacks Farage's proposals, assessing potential human rights violations and the responses from Labour and other political leaders amid rising public sentiment on asylum issues.
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Mainstreaming Hardline Rhetoric
- Nigel Farage's speech felt like a watershed because hardline migration language has become mainstream.
- Jessica Elgot warned that words like 'invasion' and 'scourge' are now normalized in political debate.
Ambitious Deportation Blueprint
- Farage proposed deporting small-boat arrivals, detaining 24,000 people and signing returns with hostile states.
- Jessica Elgot described these proposals as major departures from mainstream migration policy.
Treaty Exit Won't Instantaneously Solve Returns
- Disentangling the UK from human rights treaties would take years and create legal limbo, experts warn.
- Jessica Elgot noted many protections are rooted in British case law, so treaty withdrawal may not enable mass deportations.