Nigel Farage vows to halt UK asylum system for five years

LONDON: British right-wing populist Nigel Farage vowed on Monday to suspend the country's asylum system for five years if his Reform UK party comes to power.

Reform UK surged in opinion polls amid growing anti-immigration sentiment, but Farage has lost momentum in recent months following a series of donation scandals this year.

"We will end the asylum system for up to five years ... because we're in the most terrible mess as a country," Farage said in a speech in Kent, southern England. "We have to end this asylum scam, and we have to end this racket," said the pro-Brexit figurehead. The next general election is not due until 2029.


Seeking asylum is a legal right enshrined in the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights, although governments are not obliged to grant asylum to every applicant.

Official figures published in August also showed that asylum applications had fallen by more than a fifth year-on-year.