Kemi Badenoch has unveiled plans to deport 150,000 illegal migrants per year as the Tory leader launches her push to outflank Nigel Farage ahead of her keynote speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

Mrs Badenoch released her Borders document last night, setting out how a Tory Government would look to end the migrant crisis.

The seven-part plan also includes banning asylum claims for illegal entrants, withdrawal from the European Convention on Human Rights and European Convention of Action against Trafficking, and repealing the Human Rights Act.

Mrs Badenoch is committed to deporting all new illegal migrants within a week of arriving on British shores and removing all foreign criminals.

Other measures include ending the Immigration Tribunal, Judicial Review and legal aid for immigration case, signing returns agreements backed by visa sanctions and supporting Britain’s allies abroad to prevent illegal entry to Europe.

In the foreword, which was signed by Mrs Badenoch and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, the pair said: “Our approach starts with a detailed legal analysis of the impact of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on key policy areas, written by the leading barrister, Lord Wolfson KC.

“After careful consideration, we have concluded that the only way to protect our country’s borders is to leave the ECHR and repeal the Human Rights Act (HRA), in a way that is orderly and well thought-out.

“This is only the first step. But it is essential, so we can change the whole broken system and restore control of our country’s borders, while continuing to protect human rights in a way that is faithful to our democratic heritage.”

They added: “The BORDERS plan builds on announcements we have made in this area to date, including pledging to introduce a strict numerical cap on immigration, extending the length of time to claim citizenship, and setting strict conditions on anyone with Indefinite Leave to Remain.

“A separate document setting out our plan to reduce legal immigration will be published later in the year.”

There has been concern about the legal implications of leaving the ECHR, particularly around the Good Friday Agreement.

“The British Government will complete incorporation into Northern Ireland law of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), with direct access to the courts, and remedies for breach of the Convention,” the Good Friday Agreement stated.

However, Mrs Badenoch commissioned commercial lawyer Lord Wolfson KC to examine her seven-part plan.

Lord Wolfson said: “In practice, the ECHR places significant restrictions on the ability of any Government and Parliament to operate the UK’s immigration policies without running a risk of breaching the ECHR and being subjected to Rule 39 Orders (as was the case with the Rwanda scheme).

“ECHR membership places significant practical limits on the UK’s ability to maintain control of its borders, both for reasons of mandated process and substance (in the sense that even where claimants lose in the end, the process cost may frustrate effective immigration enforcement more generally).”

Despite Lord Wolfson’s legal analysis, the plan is not guaranteed to siphon off votes from Reform UK.

Opinium’s latest survey handed Reform UK a 13-point lead over Labour on 34 per cent.

However, it also found Tory support has continued to slump since the 2024 General Election, dropping to just 16 per cent after the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

Top Tories cite Rishi Sunak’s failure to stop the boats as a key reason behind the party’s catastrophic defeat last year.

More than two-thirds of Channel crossings – 129,483 out of a total of 186,976 – were carried out while the Conservative Party was in power.

Despite attempting to paint the party in a new image, just 15 per cent of Britons said the Conservative Party was most trusted to stop the boats.

Reform UK came out on top in the Merlin Strategy poll on 35 per cent, leaving Labour in second on 18 per cent and none of the above in third on 17 per cent.

Following Mrs Badenoch’s decision to commit the Conservative Party to leaving the ECHR, Mr Farage pointed out he had been calling for the UK to withdraw from the Strasbourg convention since 2020.

Reform UK’s migration plan, dubbed Operation Restoring Justice, includes deporting 600,000 migrants, leaving the ECHR, disapplying the Refugee Convention and establishing a British Bill of Rights.

However, data compiled by the Home Office suggests both proposals would require a significant increase in manpower, with just 9,115 enforced returns being carried out in the year to July 4, 2025.