Reform UK Vows to Deport All Foreign National Offenders, Farage Says

Reform UK has pledged to deport all 10,000 foreign national offenders held in British prisons, linking the proposal to the country’s overcrowding crisis and a plan to rent prison space overseas.

Nigel Farage’s party unveiled the policy on August 10, 2026, during a press conference in an airport hangar near Oxford. It says prisoners could be transferred to countries including El Salvador and Kosovo while new facilities are built in Britain.

The proposal would cover approximately 10,000 foreign nationals in custody in England and Wales. They represent about 12% of the total prison population.

The plan also includes 12,000 additional places in temporary British facilities known as “Nightingale prisons.”

Zia Yusuf, a Reform UK spokesperson, cited US agreements involving El Salvador when describing the policy. He said:

“We will deport all 10,000 foreign nationals from our prisons, sending them to serve their sentences in countries like El Salvador. We will use the space created to ensure that serious criminals stay where they belong: behind bars.”

The party says it could save over £7 billion across five years by avoiding the £54,000 annual cost of keeping each prisoner in British facilities. Negotiations are reportedly underway with El Salvador and Kosovo to rent prison places.

Lee Anderson, the party’s chair, is scheduled to visit El Salvador in the coming months for further talks.

The proposal would include people awaiting trial

Roughly one-third of the 10,000 people covered by the proposal are on remand, meaning they have not been convicted of a crime. Deporting that group would immediately affect people whose cases remain unresolved.

The proposal therefore reaches beyond sentenced prisoners. It would also reshape how the British system handles people accused of offences while courts consider their cases.

Reform UK presents the plan as an alternative to the Labour government’s early release scheme. That scheme has released thousands of inmates after they served only a third of their sentences, amid efforts to prevent the prison system from collapsing under overcrowding.

The party’s proposed overseas transfers would free space in existing prisons while the temporary facilities came into use. Its plan treats prison capacity and deportation as a single policy.

Overseas prison deals would face human rights barriers

The proposal would require Britain to leave the European Convention on Human Rights, according to the policy outline. The party says withdrawal would remove legal obstacles involving the right to family life and possible mistreatment in third countries.

It would also move Britain away from the principle of non-refoulement. That principle bars sending people to places where they face threats to life or freedom.

Human rights groups have raised concerns about conditions in El Salvador under similar arrangements. Reports cited in the research describe beatings, isolation and inadequate medical care.

Those allegations point to the practical question at the centre of any overseas prison agreement: whether transferred people would receive lawful treatment and adequate protection in the receiving country.

The party has tied the policy to a wider enforcement model

Yusuf referred to earlier US arrangements with El Salvador as a precedent for sending people convicted of crimes abroad. The proposal is a UK political initiative, and official US government sources have not formally endorsed the party’s platform.

The American comparison remains limited. The pledge comes from a British party and focuses on prisoners held in England and Wales, alongside a proposed withdrawal from the European human rights framework.

The party’s policy paper, Operation Restoring Justice, sets out the proposal on August 10, 2026. Its stated approach combines rented prison capacity overseas, temporary facilities at home and deportation of the entire target population.

The financial calculation depends on the projected saving of over £7 billion and the claimed £54,000 annual cost per prisoner. The proposal also depends on agreements with destination countries and the construction of 12,000 domestic places.

Anderson’s planned visit to El Salvador is expected to provide the next stage of those discussions. The pledge would then face negotiations, legal challenges and questions about people held on remand.

This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.