It hasn’t taken long for Zia Yusuf’s shock unresignation to see him conflict with the views of his party leader/owner. Good job for Farage that he’s such a megalomaniac that reputedly his new chairman – who isn’t Yusuf – was picked on the basis that he’d have less power.
Anyway, in his first interview since his return a few days ago he told Radio 4 that he would deport every single illegal immigrant from the UK.
I want to be crystal clear about what my position is, and Reform UK’s position is, which is we will deport everybody who is here in this country illegally, which is roughly about 1.2 million people.
However, this is a claim so unrealistic that that even Nigel Farage thought it’s impossible, despite his tendency to exaggerate and confabulate. Last year he told GB News – a channel that would have been extremely sympathetic to the idea – that deporting every illegal immigrant is “literally impossible to do”.
Asked by GB News if he supported removing all illegal immigrants, he said: “It’s impossible to do. Literally impossible to do.
“For us, at the moment, it’s a political impossibility.”
Asked if it was his ambition to be able to do it, Farage replied: “No. So it’s pointless even going there.
“It’s a political impossibility, we simply can’t do it.”
For what it’s worth, the 1.2 million figure is also likely an overestimate.