Reform UK has hit back at both the Archbishop of York and the government following criticism of its immigration policies.
Speaking on Sky News, Richard Tice, Reform’s deputy leader, told Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips that Stephen Cottrell, who is the acting head of the Church of England, was “wrong” with his criticism of his party’s deportation policy for illegal migrants.
It comes after party leader Nigel Farage announced Reform’s flagship immigration plan during a flashy news conference held at an aircraft hangar in Oxford on Tuesday.
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The party pledged to deport anybody who comes to the UK illegally, regardless of whether they might come to harm, and said it would pay countries with questionable human rights records – such as Afghanistan – to take people back.
It also said it would leave numerous international agreements, and revoke the Human Rights Act, in order to do this.
The policy was criticised by the Conservatives, who said Mr Farage was “copying our homework”, while parties such as the Liberal Democrats and the Greens condemned it.
But the plan came under fire from an altogether different angle on Saturday, when the Archbishop of York accused it of being an “isolationist, short-term kneejerk” approach, with no “long-term solutions”.
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Archbishop: Farage has no answers on migration
Mr Cottrell told the same Sky News programme he had “every sympathy” with those who…
