Farage pledges target to halve crime if Reform enters government
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.
'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 claimed he was 'in conversation with Edi Rama', the Albanian prime minister over prisoners.
I accept Prime Minister @EdiRamaal 's invitation to visit Albania as his guest of honour.
We will discuss the return of Albanian prisoners. pic.twitter.com/PREL64fbfr
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) June 30, 2025
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.'
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.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
South Wales Argus
18 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
Ex-BBC journalist says covering Bloody Sunday sparked decades-long career
Peter Taylor, 82, from Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, subsequently dedicated a large portion of his working life to documenting events in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles he interviewed republican and loyalist inmates in a notorious prison which he said had not been accessed before, or in the same way since. He also tracked down and spoke to an MI5 officer who he said was 'central to getting the IRA to commit to peace' in a secret mission. As he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Mr Taylor told the Princess Royal that his first assignment in Northern Ireland was covering Bloody Sunday for ITV's This Week. On January 30 1972, British soldiers shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry. Speaking to the PA news agency at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being honoured for services to journalism and public service broadcasting, he said: 'I remember being shocked at what happened and feeling guilty that I knew nothing, or very little, about the background to the conflict. 'I remember that day thinking I better start trying to find out, so I spent the past 50 years trying to do exactly that.' It took him nearly 10 years of work to get permission to make a documentary inside the high-security Maze Prison housing paramilitaries, which is no longer in operation. It was otherwise known as Long Kesh and was the site of 1981 hunger strikes. People serving sentences for murder 'and a whole series of dreadful atrocities' were inside, Mr Taylor said, adding that he gained their trust to be interviewed. Mr Taylor being made a CBE (Jonathan Brady/PA) The conversations were conducted without prison officers' oversight, he added. At Windsor Castle, the former BBC journalist told PA: 'In the end, when they saw the film they were glad that they had taken part because it gave a different view of the contribution that they were potentially prepared to make towards peace. 'You know you've succeeded when you get that kind of reaction, when they're clearly expecting to take you to the cleaners for what you've done, and they say 'wasn't bad for a Brit'.' He earned the trust of major figures including former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose funeral he attended, and Ian Paisley, previous leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose memorial he was invited to. The aim was 'to get behind the mask' and that 'required them trusting me, but me trusting them to be as straight as they were prepared to be'. 'They knew I had a job to do, so when I asked really difficult questions – which in most cases they tried to answer, they knew that was part of my job – they didn't take it personally, but they knew what I was trying to do.' Another major scoop was accessing the 'back channel between MI5 and the IRA' leadership. The security service ran a secret mission designed to 'encourage the IRA to stop killing people and engage in the political process', he said. Mr Taylor meeting the Princess Royal (Jonathan Brady/PA) The MI5 officer, unearthed by Mr Taylor and his team, was 'part and parcel' of that process. He 'flatly denied' working for MI5 when Mr Taylor first approached, but the journalist left his calling card and a book he had written titled The Provos: The IRA And Sinn Fein. Around 20 years after Mr Taylor first started working on the story, the officer wrote to him and said he had watched his documentary My Journey Through the Troubles. 'He said, if there are any gaps in your knowledge that you would like to sort out, I'm now prepared to talk to you.' Mr Taylor travelled to interview him on the condition of anonymity. Fewer programmes like Mr Taylor's are now made because of lack of funding, he said, adding that his did not attract 'huge viewing figures'. 'My worry is that public service broadcasting and the climate in which I grew up and learned my trade is under threat,' he told PA. 'It needs finances. What we do, people like me try and do, is to help people understand and make political choices and pass judgments on these extremely difficult, complex issues.' The public's appetite is changing too, he said, adding: 'People just grow weary of bombs, mayhem, murder, bad news.' Young people need to 'carry the torch onwards', which is 'a hard ask' because getting jobs and story commissions is increasingly difficult, he said.
North Wales Chronicle
18 minutes ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Ex-BBC journalist says covering Bloody Sunday sparked decades-long career
Peter Taylor, 82, from Henley on Thames, Oxfordshire, subsequently dedicated a large portion of his working life to documenting events in Northern Ireland. During the Troubles he interviewed republican and loyalist inmates in a notorious prison which he said had not been accessed before, or in the same way since. He also tracked down and spoke to an MI5 officer who he said was 'central to getting the IRA to commit to peace' in a secret mission. As he was made a Commander of the British Empire (CBE), Mr Taylor told the Princess Royal that his first assignment in Northern Ireland was covering Bloody Sunday for ITV's This Week. On January 30 1972, British soldiers shot dead 13 civil rights protesters on the streets of Londonderry. Speaking to the PA news agency at Windsor Castle on Tuesday, after being honoured for services to journalism and public service broadcasting, he said: 'I remember being shocked at what happened and feeling guilty that I knew nothing, or very little, about the background to the conflict. 'I remember that day thinking I better start trying to find out, so I spent the past 50 years trying to do exactly that.' It took him nearly 10 years of work to get permission to make a documentary inside the high-security Maze Prison housing paramilitaries, which is no longer in operation. It was otherwise known as Long Kesh and was the site of 1981 hunger strikes. People serving sentences for murder 'and a whole series of dreadful atrocities' were inside, Mr Taylor said, adding that he gained their trust to be interviewed. The conversations were conducted without prison officers' oversight, he added. At Windsor Castle, the former BBC journalist told PA: 'In the end, when they saw the film they were glad that they had taken part because it gave a different view of the contribution that they were potentially prepared to make towards peace. 'You know you've succeeded when you get that kind of reaction, when they're clearly expecting to take you to the cleaners for what you've done, and they say 'wasn't bad for a Brit'.' He earned the trust of major figures including former IRA commander Martin McGuinness, whose funeral he attended, and Ian Paisley, previous leader of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), whose memorial he was invited to. The aim was 'to get behind the mask' and that 'required them trusting me, but me trusting them to be as straight as they were prepared to be'. 'They knew I had a job to do, so when I asked really difficult questions – which in most cases they tried to answer, they knew that was part of my job – they didn't take it personally, but they knew what I was trying to do.' Another major scoop was accessing the 'back channel between MI5 and the IRA' leadership. The security service ran a secret mission designed to 'encourage the IRA to stop killing people and engage in the political process', he said. The MI5 officer, unearthed by Mr Taylor and his team, was 'part and parcel' of that process. He 'flatly denied' working for MI5 when Mr Taylor first approached, but the journalist left his calling card and a book he had written titled The Provos: The IRA And Sinn Fein. Around 20 years after Mr Taylor first started working on the story, the officer wrote to him and said he had watched his documentary My Journey Through the Troubles. 'He said, if there are any gaps in your knowledge that you would like to sort out, I'm now prepared to talk to you.' Mr Taylor travelled to interview him on the condition of anonymity. Fewer programmes like Mr Taylor's are now made because of lack of funding, he said, adding that his did not attract 'huge viewing figures'. 'My worry is that public service broadcasting and the climate in which I grew up and learned my trade is under threat,' he told PA. 'It needs finances. What we do, people like me try and do, is to help people understand and make political choices and pass judgments on these extremely difficult, complex issues.' The public's appetite is changing too, he said, adding: 'People just grow weary of bombs, mayhem, murder, bad news.' Young people need to 'carry the torch onwards', which is 'a hard ask' because getting jobs and story commissions is increasingly difficult, he said.
Reuters
19 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ukraine curbs autonomy of anti-corruption agencies
KYIV, July 22 (Reuters) - Ukraine has toughened restrictions on two anti-corruption agencies at the centre of the government's reform drive, rolling back their autonomy in favour of tighter executive control. Stamping out endemic graft is a requirement for Kyiv to join the European Union as well as to secure billions in Western aid. Independent investigators have in recent months embarrassed senior officials with allegations of corruption. Amendments passed on Tuesday grant the general prosecutor, appointed by the president, strict control over the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, several lawmakers said. The vote drew sharp criticism from the heads of both agencies and a top EU official, and spurred the largest public protests since Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. It came a day after Kyiv's domestic security agency arrested two NABU officials on suspicion of ties to Russia and conducted sweeping searches into agency employees on other grounds. Critics and the two agencies said the crackdown went too far. No senior official has publicly commented on the reason for Tuesday's amendments, which would allow the general prosecutor to transfer cases from the agencies and reassign prosecutors. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, whose party holds a majority in parliament, approved the amendments late on Tuesday. His office did not respond to an earlier request for comment. NABU chief Semen Kryvonos had urged Zelenskiy not to sign the fast-tracked bill, which he described as an attempt to "destroy" Ukraine's anti-corruption infrastructure. After Tuesday's vote, Ukraine's government bonds fell more than 2% on international markets, with the bulk of the $20 billion of debt it restructured last year down over 1 cent at between 45 and 50 cents on the dollar . Hundreds of Ukrainians protested near the presidential administration in central Kyiv late on Tuesday, with smaller actions taking place in several other cities. Writing on X, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos said she was "seriously concerned" by Tuesday's vote. "The dismantling of key safeguards protecting NABU's independence is a serious step back," she said, adding that rule of law was at "the very center" of accession talks. NABU and SAPO were established after the 2014 Maidan revolution that toppled a pro-Russian president and set Kyiv on a Western course. The two agencies have stepped up their work during the war, leveling charges against lawmakers, ministers, and a former deputy head of Zelenskiy's administration. Anti-graft campaigners have been alarmed since authorities charged a top anti-corruption activist this month with fraud and evading military service. Critics have cast those charges as political retribution for exposing corrupt officials. The government has also faced criticism for rejecting the candidacy of an economic security chief and current NABU detective who was unanimously backed by an internationally supervised committee. A Western diplomat familiar with Ukraine's reform effort described the developments as "the most dangerous moment" yet for the independence of anti-corruption authorities. "The Ukrainian side is testing the limits more and more," the person said, referring to the patience of Kyiv's allies. Many influential Ukrainians lashed out on social media after Tuesday's vote, saying it was a betrayal of Ukraine's decade-long geopolitical ambition. Fighting corruption is seen as critical to erasing a legacy of Russian rule, a sentiment echoed at the protest in Kyiv. Vladyslava Kirstyuk, 18, said memories of her childhood in occupied eastern Ukraine, after Russia's covert invasion in 2014, left a strong impression on her. "I know what it means for one person to have all the power, when nothing is transparent and everything is working against you," she said. "I don't want it to be the same for us here."
