𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Nigel Farage will force Boris Johnson to testify under oath in a national inquiry into Britain’s migrant crisis if he wins the next election, the Daily Express can reveal. The Reform UK leader would order the probe amid fears the 1.6 million foreign nationals predicted to settle between 2026 and 2030 will “destroy the country’s finances”.

Mr Johnson’s Home Secretary, Dame Priti Patel, would also be forced to give evidence, Reform UK said. Party sources said the inquiry would consider “whether their gross negligence in office amounted to criminal conduct”.

Reform’s home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, said: “Boris Johnson perpetrated one of the biggest scandals in British history by throwing open our borders to millions who are now set to destroy the country’s finances.

“A Reform Government will launch a national inquiry to reveal exactly what happened and how. Boris himself will be forced to testify, under penalty of perjury. He will be held to account.”

But the Conservatives’ Shadow Home Secretary, Chris Philp, hit back: “This is a piece of cheap party political theatrics that will cost taxpayers millions to mask Reform’s lack of actual policies or solutions.

“The Conservative Party has changed and is under new leadership now. The changed Conservatives have developed a plan to fix the UK’s immigration problems.

“Our BORDERS plan entails leaving the ECHR and banning asylum claims by illegal immigrants so we can deport them with a week of arrival, as well as deport all foreign criminals.

“We would create a hard cap on annual immigration voted on by Parliament at far, far lower levels than recent years. We would also abolish the failing immigration tribunal which routinely makes nonsensical decisions – all as part of our plan to deliver a stronger country.”

A staggering 1,469,000 migrants moved to the UK in the year to March 2023.

The number of arrivals fell slightly to 1,299,000 in the year to June 2024, before dropping again to 898,000 last year.

Net migration, which takes into account the number of people leaving the UK, surged to a record high of 944,000 in the year ending March 2023. It hit 764,000 in 2022, before dropping to 649,000 in June 2024.

It fell to 204,000 in the year to September 2025 as the number of people leaving the country hit the highest level for a century.

Officials believe one in 30 people living in the UK arrived between 2021 and 2024.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood compared the influx to “freedom of movement”.

The Home Office has predicted 1.6 million people could be given indefinite leave to remain, adding that the rules must be changed or they “will be able to access social housing and the welfare state”.

Migrants who arrived in the so-called ‘Boris Wave’ face a 10 to 15-year wait to apply for settlement rights, under Labour’s plans, amid fears over an influx of low-skilled workers, particularly on the abused Health and Social Care Visa.

Ms Mahmood added, in evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee: “Because of the lower-skilled nature of many of these people in terms of their salary expectations, you can expect that there will be a correlation between those numbers and those who, having achieved settled status, may require assistance from the state, if we do not change the rules.”

Under Labour’s plans, migrants could be barred from claiming benefits unless they become British citizens.

Ms Mahmood said those relying on handouts must wait 20 to 30 years to receive indefinite leave to remain.

Arrivals applying to settle after 10 years must have no criminal record, speak English to A-level standards and have no debt.

But left-wing Labour MPs, trade union bosses and health chiefs are trying to force the Home Secretary to water down her plans.

As revealed by the Daily Express, Mr Farage would ban all foreign nationals from claiming any form of welfare.

Only UK citizens would be able to receive benefits, under a Reform government.

This means Mr Farage would unpick Boris Johnson’s deal with Brussels that guarantees EU citizens the right to claim benefits in the UK if he wins power.

Mr Yusuf said Reform could use trade deals as a bargaining chip with Brussels.

The Tories in 2023 banned overseas care workers and foreign students from bringing their family members with them to the UK.

The salary threshold for skilled workers was also increased to £38,700.

The Sunday Express has revealed how a record number of migrants have applied for British citizenship since the three main political parties vowed to crack down on welfare handouts for foreign nationals.

It followed a huge political battle over immigration, with Labour, the Conservatives and Reform UK all vowing to dramatically tighten access to the NHS, welfare and social housing if they win the next General Election.

And the number of people being granted citizenship since Labour came to power has surged to the highest level since 2013.

Some 291,971 people lodged applications in the 12 months up to last December, up from 253,757 in 2024.

This itself was a record number, eclipsing the 235,975 in 2023 and 232,262 in 2013.

By comparison, the number of citizenship applications only surpassed 200,000 in three of the past 22 years.

Separate figures also showed how the record number of arrivals in recent years were having their visas extended.

A staggering 1.1 million foreign nationals received permission to stay in the UK last year, up from 900,376 in 2024.

Analysis revealed how 199,256 migrants were granted visa extensions in 2016 – the lowest number since 2010.

But the number of grants has surged since 2019, from 292,563 to 342,970 in 2020, 395,157 in 2021, 563,981 in 2022, 685,705 in 2023 and 900,376 in 2024.