Reform UK pledges hardline crackdown on illegal migrants entering Britain from Ireland, with eye-watering fines for train and bus firms transporting them across the border
Reform UK plans to propose tougher measures against illegal migrants travelling from the Republic of Ireland into Northern Ireland and onward into Britain. The proposals would include £10,000 fines for bus and rail operators for each illegal migrant transported, with the money used for deportations and border enforcement.
The party also wants regular spot checks at terminals in Belfast, Newry, Banbridge and Sprucefield, while insisting these would not amount to formal border controls and would comply with the Common Travel Area and Good Friday Agreement. Home Office figures show 1,284 suspected offenders were arrested in 2025–26, including 934 linked to alleged abuse of the Common Travel Area; 465 people were returned under Operation Gull.
- Reform UK proposes £10,000 fines for operators transporting illegal migrants.
- Spot checks would target cross-border coach and rail terminals.
- Officials recorded 934 Common Travel Area abuse cases in 2025–26.