Zia Yusuf unveiled reform uk policies that would prioritise migrant detention centres in areas with Green MPs or Green councils. He said areas like Brighton would be targeted, putting the plan at the centre of Reform’s local-election push just days before millions go to the polls.
The party also launched a webpage that lets voters enter a postcode to check whether their area is likely to be site of a detention centre. For E8 1EA, the page says the area is on the list and will be prioritised to receive a detention centre under the policy.
Brighton and E8 1EA
Yusuf made the announcement in Brighton and said, “That means areas like right here in Brighton.” By Tuesday, that video had drawn 3.7 million views on X, giving the policy a wider reach than a routine local-election message.
The announcement landed alongside polling from YouGov released on Tuesday, which found 45% of more than 4,000 adults polled did not believe it was acceptable for a government to base constituency decisions on which party voters supported at a general election. Among Reform’s own voters, 37% said such decisions were unacceptable and 34% said they were acceptable.
Party responses
The Greens and Labour described the policy as disgusting and grotesque. The Conservatives dismissed it as not a serious policy and as one made up on the spot for a social media video.
Imran Hussain called the policy “unworkable and profoundly un-British.” John McTernan said, “Reform are a very modern political party, which farms outrage and wants people to be angry.”
Reform and the Greens
Yusuf said, “It’s clear that the failed uniparty era is over and there is a battle for the soul of our country between Reform and the Greens.” Nigel Farage has characterised Reform as less the one man band of old, and the policy pushes that message into places where the Greens are tipped to win council elections in Hackney this week.
For voters in the named areas, the immediate step is simple: the postcode checker now sets out whether Reform has put their area on its list. The political test is sharper still, because the party has tied a future government’s siting choice to how those seats vote.
