Nigel Farage's 'fantasy' plan to cut crime as huge questions remain

Nigel Farage has yet again been accused of peddling "fantasy" plans based on dodgy sums - this time on tackling crime.

The Reform leader resorted to "amateur hour" headline-grabbing measures, including sending thousands of prisoners overseas to serve lenghty sentences, critics said. He named El Salavador as an example - but then admitted he hadn't discussed it with the central American nation.

Mr Farage claimed it would cost £17.4billion to halve crime in five years, a sum he insisted could be raised without raising tax - but was later told his estimate was "billions out".

His plans appeared to unravel after he said drug traffickers would face mandatory life imprisonment, as would people with three convictions for serious crimes. He also said people found in possession of a knife would not be eligible for suspended sentences.

Despite this his proposals would create just 30,000 new prison spaces. Last year there were nearly 50,000 crimes reported to police involving a knife in England and Wales.

The operating capacity of prisons was 89,600 in June this year. Sex offenders and those convicted of violent crimes would not qualify for early release, Mr Farage said.

READ MORE: 'I was in the room as another European leader gave a scathing verdict on Brexit'

The Reform leader said the Army would be ordered to help build five "Nightingale" prisons - modelled on the hospitals fast-tracked during the Covid crisis. Inmates from overseas would be sent back to their homelands, he claimed.

But it is unclear what would happen if countries refuse to take them back, with Mr Farage suggesting the UK would use its ecomonic heft to punish those who say no. The previous Tory government suggested sending prisoners to overseas jails - but experts questioned whether this would actually work.

The populist Reform boss also claimed he would abolish a shoplifters' "charter" - even though he and his party voted against the Government's Crime and Policing Bill which does just that. Tory law changes mean thefts from shops worth under £200 are less likely to result in prosecution - sending cases sprialling.

Labour Party chairwoman Ellie Reeves said: “Nigel Farage repeatedly tried to block tough measures to make our streets safer. Reform is more interested in headline-chasing than serious policy-making in the interests of the British people. 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. The public deserves better than ill-thought through slogans and unfunded policy commitments.

“Unlike Reform, this Labour government is backing up its words with action."

And Tory shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride said: "Farage's sums don’t add up...again! Reform's crime plan suggests prison places can be provided at £25,000, when the real cost is £40,000. This isn’t a manifesto - it’s a fantasy, written on the back of a fag packet.

"Farage’s numbers are billions out. You don’t halve crime with wishful thinking. You do it with a real plan, real costs, and real leadership. Britain needs serious leadership, not amateur hour."

Lisa Smart, Lib Dem home affairs spokeswoman, said: "After years of mismanagement from the former Conservative government, it’s clear that real change is needed to deliver the criminal justice system our communities deserve.

"But once again, Reform has failed to bring forward any credible, serious solutions. Their proposals have been cobbled together on the back of a fag packet with no clear idea of how they would pay for any of it. The British people deserve better than this."

Mr Farage claimed his plans would see 12,400 new prison places on Ministry of Defence (MOD) land within 18 months of a new Government. He said there would be an additional 10,400 created by transferring serious offenders overseas.

He named El Salvador, but then admitted that he had not tested the water to see if its government would be open to such a deal with the UK. It is also unknown how much this would cost, but Reform documents suggest £1.25billion would be set aside over five years.

He also said it is "fair, right and proper" that British criminals are taken back in return. 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,"

Following Tory proposals to send prisoners overseas last year, the Prison Reform Trust responded: "Examples of where similar policies have been implemented by other countries to relieve problems of overcrowded and limited capacity have shown mixed results.

"In the past decade, both Norway and Belgium have rented prison places in the Netherlands to handle problems of overcrowding and limited capacity. Ultimately, neither Norway nor Belgium extended their contracts with the Netherlands.

"Both schemes were heavily criticised by national and international detention monitoring bodies." And it said: "In the case of Belgium, the arrangement did not reduce overcrowding – which continued to get worse."

READ MORE: Join our Mirror politics WhatsApp group to get the latest updates from Westminster