Nigel Farage unveils Trump-inspired plan to send prisoners to El Salvador

Nigel Farage has faced fierce criticism following the unveiling of a controversial policy proposal to send foreign prisoners overseas. According to reporting from the Mirror, the Reform UK leader announced a scheme inspired by US President Donald Trump, who previously struck a deal with El Salvador to house criminals in a notorious facility named Cecot. Hundreds of accused Venezuelan gang members were sent there last year.

Under the proposed measures, more than 10,000 prisoners from overseas would serve their full sentence in another country. Reform claims convicts would not be able to return to the UK once they are released. When questioned about what would happen if a convict's homeland refused to take them back, home affairs chief Zia Yusuf responded: "So the direct answer to your question comes down to negotiations with those foreign governments." Reform claims that housing people in El Salvador would cost half as much as it would to keep them in the UK.

Media additions

Mr Farage also claimed that if he was PM, he would oversee 12,000 places become available in new so-called 'Nightingale' prisons - named after the temporary hospitals built during the Covid pandemic. At a press conference in Westminster he said these would be "frankly, pretty cheap", and added: "They would be very basic, and we have to admit that. "There might not be too many colour TVs, we have to admit that. But the actual construction side is very, very small money." The announcements arrive amid ongoing capacity pressures left by the Tories. Around 97% of usable prison space is full in England and Wales.

Political opponents have moved quickly to condemn the strategy. A Labour spokesperson dismissed the initiative, stating:

"This isn’t a serious prison plan. Nigel Farage knows full well that renting prison places overseas would take years to arrange and does nothing to tackle the pressures we face now."

Labour spokesperson, via Mirror

The government defended its own record, highlighting that almost 10,000 foreign criminals have been removed since the election, up 36% on the previous 21 months. Labour also used the announcement to pivot to broader political attacks, calling on Mr Farage to still needs to come clean about his secret £5 million “gift” from his crypto billionaire backer.

International comparisons formed a central part of the debate. Other countries have already reached deals to put offenders in foreign prisons, including Denmark, where 300 inmates are expected to be sent to Kosovo. And Sweden has a similar deal with Estonia, with prisoners expected to be housed there this month. However, critics continue to question the logistics and viability of replicating such schemes on a wider scale.

Reform's latest announcement comes as the party faces a slump in the polls, having been overtaken by Labour for the first time in more than a year earlier this month. Last week Mr Farage unveiled a 25-page plan to use the Royal Navy to stop small boats and return the people on board to France. But the French government swiftly torpedoed the proposal, saying it would be a violation of its sovereignty. In a separate announcement, Mr Yusuf was mocked for announcing company bosses would face jail under Reform if they employed staff with no right to work in the UK. Similar legislation has already been passed by Labour.

What to watch next

• A delegation visiting the South American country later this year for talks includes former Tory deputy chairman Lee Anderson.
• Ongoing scrutiny over prison capacity and government removal rates for foreign offenders in England and Wales.
• Further developments in domestic policy debates across Westminster regarding party funding and border enforcement.