Reform echoes Restore with pledge to shut down asylum system

Reform UK has pledged to shut down Britain's asylum system, a policy Restore Britain has backed since before it became a political party.

Zia Yusuf, who says he will serve as Home Secretary in a Reform government, wrote on X at 20:37 BST on Sunday 11th October: "Important new Reform policy: As Home Secretary I will immediately shut down the asylum system. Britain is full. No more asylum. No more free hotels. I will clear the asylum backlog by deporting everyone in it."

Earlier that evening, Nigel Farage said he would "set out further how Reform will stop the invasion" on Monday.

At 20:16 BST, Rupert Lowe, the Restore Britain leader, wrote: "Restore Britain has been the only major party arguing to entirely abolish the asylum system - it's broken beyond repair, and it should be completely scrapped. No more asylum seekers." Mr Lowe did not explicitly accuse Reform of copying. No Reform response on the point had been found at the time of writing.

Until now, Reform's position had been narrower. On 26th August 2025 it launched Operation Restoring Justice, which would bar anyone arriving on small boats from claiming asylum, according to the BBC.

Restore's record

Mr Lowe first called for abolition on 29th August 2025, when Restore was still a campaign group: "We must abolish the entire asylum system. No more fake asylum seekers." On 9th October 2025, Restore published a paper, Mass Deportations: Legitimacy, Legality, and Logistics. It proposed "the abolition of Britain's asylum system in its current form".

Restore launched as a party in Great Yarmouth on Friday 13th February 2026 and was registered on 20th March 2026. On 16th February, Mr Lowe wrote: "Restore Britain would abolish the entire asylum system. No more asylum seekers."

Other pledges in sequence

The dated record shows three more Reform pledges that came after Restore's:

- Revoking past grants. On 9th October 2025, Restore's paper demanded "the retrospective revocation of anyone recently rewarded with asylum for illegal entry". On 20th April 2026, Reform pledged "an immediate review of all asylum claims from the last five years", according to the BBC.

- Tariffs. The same Restore paper backed "sanctions like visa bans, aid cuts, and tariffs" against countries that refuse to take back their citizens. It also proposed a "NATO-like coalition" of Western nations. On 11th October 2026, LBC reported that Reform would use tariffs and airline bans for the same purpose. Reform's plan does not include a coalition.

- The resettlement scheme. At 07:07 BST on 28th September 2026, Mr Lowe wrote: "A Restore Britain Government will abolish the asylum system, and deport anyone who arrives through this new scheme." On 10th October, Brit Brief, citing The Telegraph, reported that Mr Farage would deport anyone who arrived under the reopened UK Resettlement Scheme. He was quoted as saying: "these people will not be able to stay."

Mr Farage is expected to set out Reform's plans in full on Monday 12th October.

Image: Tim Green from Bradford, UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons