Kemi Badenoch Unveils Trump Style Mass Deportation Plan to Rescue Conservative Fortunes

At the Conservative Party conference in Manchester, leader Kemi Badenoch revealed a radical overhaul of the UK’s migration system, promising what she described as a Trump-style approach to border enforcement. With party poll ratings in dire territory and the threat from Reform UK and Nigel Farage looming, the pledge to deport 150000 illegal migrants per year marks a pivotal moment in Conservative strategy.

Badenoch’s seven-point blueprint is designed to “secure Britain’s borders” as the UK prepares to leave the European Convention on Human Rights. Core proposals include removing all small boat arrivals within a week, rejecting asylum applications from illegal entrants, deporting foreign criminals except those with minor traffic offences, and stripping judges of immigration oversight powers. The intent is clear: shift deportation numbers from under 10000 per year to 150000, returning failed asylum seekers at an unprecedented pace.

The plans are modelled on Donald Trump’s US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, with a £1.6bn initial budget sourced from cost savings such as closing migrant hotels. The new removal squads would receive expanded investigative tools, including automatic facial recognition technology on the public, with no notice given to those targeted. Legal routes for foreign criminals to appeal their removal would be sharply curtailed as new Home Office powers come into force.

Exiting the ECHR, the party has outlined restrictive new criteria: only those facing direct persecution by their own government may claim asylum, an approach defended as a return to the original principles of international human rights law. Threatened visa sanctions will target nations refusing to accept deported criminals, as the Conservatives aim to secure further returns agreements.

The seven-point plan is part of an anticipated wave of election pledges designed to revive dwindling support and restore faith among former Tory voters now turning to Reform UK. Current polling paints a tough landscape: Reform stands more than 10 points ahead, buoyed by high-profile defections and surging scepticism about Conservative credibility on migration. Recent surveys rank the Conservatives as the least trusted party to ‘stop the boats’, sharpening the pressure on Badenoch and her shadow cabinet.

Despite internal tensions and speculation over her leadership prospects, Badenoch has called for unity and resolve, appealing to MPs to “hold your nerve” while her renewal strategy unfolds. With local elections approaching, the coming months will be critical for Conservative fortunes and for Badenoch’s grip on the leadership.