Farage pledges target to halve crime if Reform enter government
Reform UK will aim to halve crime in five years if they get into government in Westminster Nigel Farage has announced, as he estimated a £17.4 billion bill to achieve it.
Proposals to recruit more police officers and create new prison places contribute to the estimated £3.48 billion annual bill for the party’s plans on crime and justice.
Speaking at a press conference in Westminster on Monday, Mr Farage said: “Reform will be the toughest party on law and order and on crime that this country has ever seen.
‘Take back control’
“We will aim to cut crime by half in the first five years of Reform government. We will take back control of our streets. We will take back control of our courts, of our prisons.
“If you’re a criminal, I am putting you on notice today that from 2029 or whenever that may be, either you obey the law or you will face very serious justice,” he added.
Documents handed out at Monday’s press conference show that the party estimate a £17.4 billion cost over the course of a five year parliament for their plans, with a £3.48 billion annual cost.
Plans to recruit 30,000 more police officers take up the biggest chunk of this bill, estimated at £10.5 billion overall.
Mr Farage has pledged 12,400 new prison places on MoD land at a cost of £5 billion, and five new “Nightingale Prisons” to be built with the assistance of the Army.
He also wants to see more than 10,000 more prison places freed up by deporting foreign criminals to their country of origin through bilateral agreements, and Mr Farage said he was “in conversation with Edi Rama”, the Albanian prime minister over prisoners.
The two leaders have been involved in a social media spat over the matter.
In a video on social media posted last month, Mr Farage said he would visit Albania and “report back” after an invitation from Mr Rama.
In response, Mr Rama said: “I genuinely hope your upcoming visit to Albania inspires you to fight for ideas, rather than against people — in the spirit of the great liberal tradition your country has long stood for.”
Overseas prisons
The party also wants prison places overseas in places such as El Salvador, a “dynamic prisons” policy that the party estimates will cost £1.25 billion over the course of a parliament.
Mr Farage said that he would be prepared to take back British criminals who are in foreign prisons as part of his plans.
He told reporters at the press conference that “of course we’re prepared to take British prisoners from other parts of the world.
“That’s fair, right and proper.”
Mr Farage pledged that Monday’s event was the start of a six-week campaign on law and order, as Parliament is about to begin its summer recess break.
Labour chairwoman Ellie Reeves claimed “Reform is more interested in headline-chasing than serious policy-making in the interests of the British people”.
She added: “Farage’s Reform MPs voted against the Labour Government’s landmark Crime and Policing Bill which tackles antisocial behaviour, shoplifting, violence against women and girls, knife crime, and child abuse.”
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More criminals in Reform than on the streets
How will he afford to pay for all this?
He cant. He will waffle a few figures. The reoffending rates are high. The only option he will have is the trump concentration camps. And I would fully expect that will happen from this nasty bit of work. He will follow trumps plans.
If the press do their job, they will pull this apart. Except the BBC for certain, they have a thing for reform.
Recently he was anti vax as well in a vid clip. The press should gut this fellows policies.
farage says with no actual thinking behind anything and the UK press give him a free ride.
Blokes a grifter. Call reform what it is. IF he ever attained power, he will never deliver.
Heck. The UK press seem to hold him to some sort of standard when we have his provenance in brexit, a wrecked nation. Press types, do your job.
The press love Facism.
Will they cut crime by legalising tax evasion for billionaires?
Unfortunately, it is more likely he will win at the next elections because the super filthy rich folk will support him and somehow they get the elections won. Look at Trump.
It’s very easy to promise the world to people.. However, actually managing to deliver them is an altogether different thing. Farage probably doesn’t care as long as there are enough people out there who are willing to believe his empty promises.
Last week he said Government targets were useless as they are never met, and Net Zero targets were “virtue signalling”. This week he himself is now setting targets to cut crime. Man is full of cac.
What absolute nonsense is this crook promising the gullible today??
Load of bull.
He is one big Tosser goes for the fascist voice every time.
How low has England slumped by letting fascist filth take centre stage. No surprises the UK is looked down upon now.