Summary:
- Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, proposed a £17.4 billion crime policy to reduce crime rates through overseas prisons, police increases, and zero-tolerance shoplifting enforcement.
- Funding would come from scrapping infrastructure and environmental plans, including parts of HS2 and elements of the net-zero agenda, at £3.5 billion annually.
- Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced plans to lower the voting age to 16 amid internal Labour Party criticism.
- Diane Abbott was suspended again from Labour, fueling internal disputes over discipline.
- Farage also revealed a strict immigration policy, pledging deportations for illegal entrants and higher border enforcement.
- Labour continues legislative progress amid leadership critiques, as Reform UK’s messaging gains traction in polls.
Political divisions intensified in the UK as Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, introduced a wide-ranging crime policy to cut national crime rates by half. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Keir Starmer faced growing dissent within the Labour Party after announcing plans to grant voting rights to 16- and 17-year-olds.
During a speech in central London, Farage detailed a £17.4 billion plan involving overseas prison contracts, recruitment of 30,000 new officers, and aggressive enforcement policies against offenses such as shoplifting. The initiative would see the UK renting 10,000 prison spaces in countries such as El Salvador and removing foreign nationals convicted of crimes.
Discussions are reportedly in progress with Albania’s government regarding prisoner repatriation. Reform UK‘s proposal emphasizes deploying significant police presence in crime-heavy urban areas using expanded stop-and-search powers, along with a policy of zero-tolerance prosecutions for retail theft — a shift from thresholds currently used.
The £3.5 billion annual cost is to be offset by axing several infrastructure and climate-focused initiatives, including parts of HS2 and key goals of the net-zero agenda. “The funds are there — they are just misallocated,” Farage argued during the launch.
Critics, including a spokesperson for Prime Minister Starmer, called the plan unrealistic and underspecified. “We believe in correcting the system internally, not exporting our problems,” the government representative said Monday.
This follows closely after Farage announced a strict immigration agenda targeting irregular entries and promising mass deportations, particularly individuals who file asylum claims after entering on tourist or student visas. Reform UK has seen a bump in public support, especially regarding immigration enforcement.
On Sunday night, the Labour Party moved forward on electoral reform, aiming to reduce the voting age to 16 before the next election. The decision, defended by Education Secretary Liz Kendall on BBC Radio 4, is seen as a strategy to modernize governance and expand youth political engagement.
Still, party unity problems persist. Veteran MP Diane Abbott was suspended once more after refusing to address past controversial remarks, drawing party-wide backlash and intensifying scrutiny of Starmer’s disciplinary tactics, which some describe as draconian.
Background:
Here is how this event developed over time:
- July 18, 2025: Reform UK leader Nigel Farage unveils a hardline immigration policy, pledging to deport all illegal entrants and prevent asylum claims from individuals on student or travel visas.
- July 20, 2025: Farage criticizes the government’s secretive Afghan refugee resettlement scheme, alleging it includes individuals convicted of sex offences.
- July 21, 2025: Farage launches a comprehensive crime policy, proposing to rent 10,000 prison spaces abroad (including in El Salvador) at a cost of £250 million per year.
- July 21, 2025: Farage claims to have an agreement with Albania to repatriate foreign criminals and calls for the hiring of 30,000 new police officers alongside increased stop-and-search powers.
- July 21, 2025: The government dismisses Reform UK’s crime plan as “unfunded” and rejects any use of overseas prisons.
- July 21, 2025: The Labour Party announces accelerated plans to lower the voting age to 16 ahead of the next general election.
- July 21, 2025: Labour MP Diane Abbott is suspended again over comments related to racism, intensifying the party’s internal divisions.
- July 21, 2025: Labour leader Keir Starmer faces criticism for his leadership style, described by some as authoritarian and intolerant of internal debate.