Nigel Farage Wants to Ship Britain's Worst Criminals to El Salvador – Taking a Page from Trump's Playbook?

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, has unveiled a £17.4 billion ($23.3 billion) plan to tackle what he calls 'lawless Britain', with a controversial pledge to send serious offenders to El Salvador's notorious mega-jails.

Modelled after US President Donald Trump's strategy of deporting gang members to Central America, Farage claims his zero tolerance approach will halve the UK's crime rate by 2029. However, critics have questioned the feasibility and funding of the proposals, accusing Farage of headline-grabbing tactics rather than offering practical solutions.

A Radical Crime Crackdown

Announcing his policy at a London press conference on Monday, 21 July 2025, Farage warned of 'societal collapse' driven by rising levels of shoplifting, muggings and knife crime. He referenced the high-profile case of Ian Huntley, the Soham killer, stating, 'If that means Ian Huntley goes to El Salvador, well, our attitude is so be it.'

Farage argued that his plan draws inspiration from Trump, who, he claimed, has paid El Salvador billions to house US offenders in its Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT).

'They're quite happy to take American violent offenders, so I don't see any reason why not,' Farage said.

Reform UK aims to establish 10,000 prison places abroad at an annual cost of £250 million ($335 million), with El Salvador, Kosovo and Estonia named as potential partner countries.

The party also plans to deport 10,000 foreign prisoners, and Farage claimed discussions with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama are underway to repatriate Albanian offenders currently held in UK prisons.

Tougher Sentences and More Police

The broader crackdown includes recruiting 30,000 new police officers and building 12,400 so-called Nightingale prisons on disused Ministry of Defence land, at a projected cost of £5 billion ($6.7 billion).

Farage pledged to end early release for those convicted of serious violent, sexual or knife-related offences, insisting that 'life should mean life'. He also proposed a 'totting up' system, under which anyone convicted of a third serious offence would automatically receive a life sentence.

The plan calls for police to investigate all crimes, including shoplifting, and to implement saturation stop and search in high-crime areas, with Farage suggesting one in five people could be stopped.

'We will take back control of our streets, courts and prisons,' he declared.

Support for the plan has appeared on social media, with X user @Israeli_Sniper writing on Tuesday, 'Farage's Reform UK aims to halve crime with a £17.4B plan, including deporting serious offenders to El Salvador's mega-jails.'

Criticism and Challenges

Farage's crime plan has faced widespread criticism from across the political spectrum. Conservative shadow chancellor Mel Stride dismissed the proposals as a 'fantasy', arguing that the figures 'are billions out'.

Labour labelled the plan 'empty promises', while Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey called it 'stuff written on the back of a fag packet'.

Human rights organisations, including Amnesty International UK, have raised serious concerns about deporting prisoners to El Salvador's mega-jails, which are notorious for overcrowding and harsh conditions.

The Prison Reform Trust highlighted the UK's overstretched prison system, with 87,334 inmates in June 2025 nearing the 89,573 capacity, questioning how foreign transfers would work amid El Salvador's own overcrowding crisis.

El Salvador's mega-jails house 40,000 inmates, often in inhumane conditions, risking diplomatic backlash.

X user @dave43law on Thursday criticise, 'No Ideas Nigel is now Trump Ideas Nigel (all he has is copycat fantasy).'

Farage insists that no tax rises are needed, proposing cuts to HS2 and net-zero policies to fund the £17.4 billion ($23.3 billion) cost. However, experts question whether these savings are realistic, noting that the Ministry of Justice faces significant budget constraints.