Taliban 'ready' to take Afghans deported from UK under Nigel Farage's plan

The Taliban has said it is "ready and willing" to take back Afghans deported from Britain under Nigel Farage’s Reform UK plan.

The pledge comes as Reform outlines potential deals with regimes including Iran and Eritrea as part of its mass deportation plans should it win power.

"We are ready and willing to receive and embrace whoever he [Nigel Farage] sends us. We are prepared to work with anyone who can help end the struggles of Afghan refugees, as we know many of them do not have a good life abroad," a senior Taliban official told The Telegraph.

"We will not take money to accept our own people, but we welcome aid to support newcomers, since there are challenges in accommodating and feeding those returning from Iran and Pakistan," the official added.

"Afghanistan is home to all Afghans, and the Islamic Emirate is determined to make this country a place where everyone - those already here, those returning, or those being sent back from the West by Mr Farage or anyone else - can live with dignity."

The Taliban official even suggested that they would welcome Farage as prime minister, describing his views as "different" from those of the current government.

Farage unveiled his plan on Tuesday, vowing to deport up to 600,000 people in the first term of a Reform government. The programme, branded 'Operation Restoring Justice', would see Britain leave the European Convention on Human Rights, repeal the Human Rights Act and disapply international treaties, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the UN Convention Against Torture.

Asked about the risk of torture or killings of Afghans returned under such a scheme, Farage said: "Does it bother me? It bothers me, but what really bothers me is what is happening on the streets of our country."

Referring to recent anti-immigration protests in Epping, which many accuse the Reform leader of whipping up, he added: "What really bothers me is what is happening to British citizens. What really bothers me is what you’ve seen from the Bell [asylum] Hotel onwards."

Reform also pledged £2bn to incentivise governments to accept deportees. Richard Tice, the party's deputy leader, told LBC: "Sometimes you have to do business with people that you may not like. If we want a ceasefire in Gaza, you’ve got to do a deal with Hamas. If you want a ceasefire in Ukraine, you’ve got to do a deal with Putin… These are not nice people. But leadership is about making difficult decisions."

Zia Yusuf, Reform's 'efficiency tsar', said it was "quite reasonable" to pay the Taliban to take back Afghans, noting that the UK already provides £151m in annual aid to Afghanistan.

The party has also indicated it would seek agreements with Iran and Eritrea, despite widespread reports of abuses.

Iranian authorities have deported more than 450,000 Afghans since June, with the UN documenting beatings, arbitrary detention, and families split apart at the border. Last week, The  Telegraph reported that the Taliban had handed three Afghans suspected of spying for Britain to Iran under a secret agreement between the two regimes.

Downing Street's response revealed the political pressure Farage is exerting, with critics accusing Labour of caving to Farage's illegal and inhumane plans on immigration. 

Asked whether Sir Keir Starmer's government might also consider a returns deal with Afghanistan or Eritrea, the prime minister's spokesman said: "We’re not going to take anything off the table."

The Home Office added: "While conditions in certain countries will often make returns challenging, we continue to work tirelessly to remove those with no legal right to be in the UK."

On Wednesday, Conservative Party chairman Kevin Hollinrake said that the party would be open to striking return deals with the Taliban and other foreign regimes. 

Germany has already resumed deportations of convicted Afghan criminals, sending 109 people on two flights after negotiating with the Taliban. But the scale of Reform’s proposal goes far further, seeking to make asylum claims inadmissible for anyone arriving illegally, including Afghans who fled Taliban rule.

Critics warn the plan would align Britain with regimes notorious for persecution and repression. Human rights groups point to the risk of torture, arbitrary detention and execution faced by many returnees.

Afghanistan remains in the grip of authoritarian rule, while Iran and Pakistan have expelled hundreds of thousands of Afghans in recent months, leaving many destitute at the border in scorching conditions.

Despite these dangers and legal constraints, Farage insists Reform will press ahead, taking inspiration from Donald Trump's anti-migrant crusade in the US. 

Recent polls show Farage's party ahead of Labour in many surveys, with Reform on 28 percent and Labour trailing with 21 percent.