Nigel Farage hints at major announcement for Reform in Wales coming within days

walesonline.co.uk · Feb 23, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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The Reform UK leader has said he will be visiting Cardiff next week for a major announcement20:46, 23 Feb 2026Nigel Farage has announced that he will launch Reform UK's manifesto for May's Senedd election within days. Speaking at a press conference in Dover on Monday Mr Farage said he would be in Cardiff on Thursday, March 5, to launch the party's Welsh manifesto and also hinted at what one of its first pledges will be.‌Reform UK has previously faced criticism for not having policies or lists of candidates but Mr Farage has repeatedly said these will be announced in time having previously suggested it was "too early" for any announcement.‌Mr Farage was most recently in Wales at the start of the month to announce that former Conservative and London council leader Dan Thomas would be the Reform's Welsh leader into May's Senedd election. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here.‌Mr Farage made the announcement about the party's Welsh manifesto at a press conference alongside Reform's home affairs spokesperson Zia Yusuf where the pair announced plans to introduce a UK Deportation Command. Ensure our latest news and sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings.They said the proposed agency would carry out mass deportations of migrants with no right to be in the country. Mr Yusuf added that introducing the UK Deportation Command would be a "burning" priority for a Reform government.David Maddox, a journalist from the Independent, asked Mr Yusuf and Mr Farage whether they were prepared to see "showdowns" between the public and the UK Deportation Command in so-called "sanctuary cities" such as Cardiff as had been seen with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers) in the US.‌He said: "Mr Yusuf, you mentioned Cardiff in your speech. You'll be aware it's one of a number of sanctuary cities in this country and you'll also be aware that Labour and the Lib Dems in particular are likening your deportation command to ICE. Are you prepared to see showdowns in places like Cardiff and Sheffield, like we've seen in Minnesota, in America, if people resist your policies if you're in power?"Mr Yusuf replied: "With regards to Cardiff Wales has this insane Nation of Sanctuary policy which cuts to the heart of some of the themes of my speech, which is that the people who are citizens, who have paid their taxes their entire lives, who have grown up in this land, are having their rights subordinated to foreign nationals."He said he didn't want to foreshadow a Welsh manifesto announcement but said the public can make an "educated guess" about Reform's position on the Nation of Sanctuary.‌Mr Farage added: "I'll be in Cardiff to launch the Welsh manifesto next Thursday. I hate leaks but I can give you a sneak preview. If we win the Welsh parliament elections Cardiff will no longer continue to be a city of sanctuary."While Cardiff is not an official "sanctuary city" the Welsh Government has a scheme known as the Nation of Sanctuary which has become an increasingly contentious subject in Welsh politics despite only making up a small portion of government spending. The scheme has seen the Welsh Government spend £55m over the last six years, which is just 0.05% of its £29bn-a-year budget, largely on supporting Ukrainians to live in Wales while war rages in their homeland.‌Both First Minister Eluned Morgan and Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth have accused Reform of being divisive and misleading the public by presenting the Nation of Sanctuary as being about asylum seekers when they say it is not.In the run-up to the Caerphilly by-election both Ms Morgan and Ukrainian refugees living in Caerphilly accused Reform of "whipping up division" over the policy.Mr Yusuf also said that he does not think there will be a repeat of the clashes seen in the US between the public and immigration enforcement officers seen on streets in Britain. He added that he does not foresee a potential UK Deportation Command having to carry weapons.‌The hint about scrapping the Nation of Sanctuary scheme being included in the manifesto appears to be the second pledge Reform has made ahead of its official launch. During the Welsh leadership announcement Mr Farage vowed to scrap the default 20mph speed limit.Mr Farage told the audience of Reform UK members and journalists that when the manifesto is published in March "getting rid of the 20mph limit will be in it, I'll insist".Mr Thomas added: "We're determined to scrap that. What I'm talking about is scrapping the blanket element. There are whole roads that are 20mph that are restricted and shouldn't be. I completely understand it around schools and hospitals, that we may still need to have it, but it's the blanket approach we need to scrap."Article continues belowHowever when asked by WalesOnline about the announcement afterwards Mr Thomas admitted he did not know what scrapping the policy would cost.