Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage Confirms Women Asylum Seekers Would Face Deportation

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has sparked fresh controversy after declaring that, if he becomes prime minister, he would deport women asylum seekers back to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

Farage’s position on the issue has shifted in recent months. In August, he suggested that his deportation plan focused primarily on men arriving illegally in the UK, saying at the time: “We are not even discussing women and children at this stage.” He argued then that Britain was already overwhelmed by the number of male migrants.

However, speaking at the Reform UK party conference in Birmingham during an interview with Sky News political editor Beth Rigby, the Clacton MP took a firmer stance. Asked directly whether he would detain women and children and send them back, Farage replied: “Yes.”

He later attempted to clarify his comments, insisting that children might be treated differently. “For clarity, those that cross the English Channel will be detained and deported, men and women,” he said. “Children, we’ll have to think about.” Farage added that while the UK may have a “duty of care” toward young children, he does not believe the same applies to adult women or men seeking asylum.

The remarks have ignited sharp criticism, particularly because Afghanistan under Taliban rule is widely recognized as one of the most dangerous places in the world for women, with sweeping restrictions on their rights and freedoms. Farage’s comments highlight his hardline immigration stance, which he argues is necessary to address what he calls Britain’s “illegal migration crisis.”