Reform UK proposes suspending asylum system for a full parliamentary term

Reform UK says it would suspend the UK asylum system for a full parliamentary term if it entered government.

The plan would reject all new asylum applications and void existing ones, while marking claimants for deportation.

It would also end asylum appeals and make no grants of refugee status or humanitarian protection.

Reform says about 400,000 people could be liable for deportation, including people already granted asylum and people who overstayed visas.

The party wants to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, repeal the Human Rights Act and stop applying the 1951 Refugee Convention to prevent legal challenges.

It says it would pressure other countries to accept deportees through visa bans and tariffs, and could use further sanctions or negotiate deals with third countries.

Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats criticised or challenged the proposals, while the Conservatives said they largely matched its own policies.