Reform UK’s mass deportation proposal involves handing cash to countries such as Afghanistan – but we can reveal Nigel Farage once hit out at idea of dealing with the Taliban
Nigel Farage branded dealing with the Taliban “a huge mistake” before his party’s unveiling of plans to pay the tyrannical regime to take back migrants.
Reform UK this week set out a hard-right blueprint for mass deportations including handing cash to countries such as Afghanistan. But we can reveal how after the oppressive Taliban returned to power leader Farage lambasted the idea of the US or UK recognising it.
Liberal Democrat deputy leader Daisy Cooper MP said: “The cat is out of the bag. Yet again Nigel Farage has been exposed as a hypocrite and a con-man. Reform’s band of plastic patriots are taking the country for fools. Their Taliban Tax amounts to giving millions of pounds of taxpayers’ money to terrorists in a hare-brained scheme that will do nothing to stop these crossings or fix the crisis in our asylum system.”
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It comes as Farage has already U-turned on proposals to deport women and kids as part of his party’s scheme. Reforms plans involve deporting up to 600,000 asylum seekers over five years. The proposal – which would see attempts to strike returns deals with hard-line Iran and Taliban-governed Afghanistan – has faced stern criticism.
And in comments unearthed by the Mirror, Farage himself previously poured cold water on dealing with the Taliban. In an interview with a US broadcaster posted on social media in September 2021, he said: “Extraordinarily, Boris Johnson [the then PM] on this side of the pond said that he thought that this was a different Taliban to the one from the 1990s.
“Almost as if he was saying it was a new woke Taliban. I don’t believe a word of it. But it looks to me… although both of our governments, despite having fought these people for 20 years… it seems the narrative now is if we recognise the Taliban we can work with them against ISIS because they’re even worse. So I think we’re on the verge of doing it, yes I do, and I think it’s a huge mistake.”
Farage even tweeted the Fox News clip to his social media followers, adding the message: “There is no way the Taliban have changed. They are still the same group we fought for 20 years.” And the same month, he shared a news article about the Taliban saying universities would be segregated by gender, adding: “So much for the ‘New Taliban’ our PM had hoped for.”
Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK’s Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme Director, said: “Some politicians will say one thing today and something completely different tomorrow, seeking to position themselves where they hope to gain most attention and favour, however immoral, unlawful or impractical that may be. Our politics on asylum and immigration are now riddled with this lack of principle so even proposals to pay torturers to take back their victims are treated as if those who present them are ‘serious’ people.
“But arbitrariness and inhumanity only promote more of the same destructive rhetoric. Only people who exploit our fears and vulnerabilities profit from this, whether it’s the people smuggling gangs, violent agitators, or those with an eye for a fast buck or spike in the polls.”
The Taliban has said this week it is “ready and willing” to work with Farage. A document outlining Reform’s so-called “Operation Restoring Justice” says return agreements with countries will involve a “carrot and stick approach”, explaining: “Aid will be offered as an incentive, the stick will involve the cessation of visa approvals and potentially sanctions.”
Asked about how returns would happen, Reform’s Zia Yusuf told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday: “Well, we have a £2bn budget to offer countries.” Put to him that £2bn was a drop in the ocean to some countries, the ex-chair of the party replied: “Not really. It’s not a drop in the ocean to Afghanistan, it’s certainly not a drop in the ocean for Eritrea, the two countries that are top of the list of boat crossings.”
Meanwhile, new polling has found half of Reform voters think giving the Taliban regime in Afghanistan “monetary aid” to Afghan return migrants there is unacceptable. YouGov found 34% thought it was “completely unacceptable” and 16% deemed it “somewhat unacceptable”.
The Taliban is not recognised by the UK as the legitimate government of Afghanistan nor does it have formal diplomatic relations with the country. The UK has not proscribed the Taliban as a terror group. But in 2015 it designated the Islamist Haqqani Network, ideologically aligned with the Taliban.
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Nigel Farage is unapologetically on the side of the British people. As Prime Minister, he will stop at nothing to ensure the interests of our people are put first and foremost, which means deporting every single Afghan that is here illegally.”