Nigel Farage has launched a bold zero-tolerance plan to deport all of Britain’s illegal immigrants in five years – in a move he compares to Barack Obama. The former US president was dubbed “deporter-in-chief” after three million “non-citizens” were removed from the country during his time in office from 2009-17.

Mr Farage now wants to use Mr Obama’s example to ensure an “unflinching resolve to deporting Britain’s growing number of illegal immigrants within five years of winning the next general election”. Writing for MailOnline, the Reform UK leader said his party had drafted a “comprehensive strategy” for deporting illegal migrants and said: “As prime minister, I will ensure our country operates a zero-tolerance policy for illegal residence.”

He said Britain would leave the European Convention on Human Rights, arguing that it had become a “mechanism by which so many illegal immigrants are able to stay in Britain”.

The Clacton MP added that Reform had drafted legislation to strike out articles of other international treaties that are sometimes used to justify migrants remaining.

He said bilateral agreements would be negotiated to enable returns, as well as new agreements with third-party countries where all individuals can be removed. He added that legal challenges and appeals would only be allowed after removal.

“The cost of this will be significant but in the longer term it represents a massive saving,” Mr Farage wrote for MailOnline.

“Allowing illegal immigrants to stay here indefinitely would be more expensive.

“Our plan represents a decisive break with the sort of half-measures that have been wheeled out by Labour and the Tories.”

On a visit to Dover earlier this week, Mr Farage also pledged to create a new minister for deportations should Reform win the next general election.

During that visit, he compared the current immigration crisis to that under Labour 20 years ago, when he said former prime minister Sir Tony Blair was “deporting tens of thousands of people a year who were here illegally”.

Referring to former minister Lord Blunkett, he added: “When Blunkett was Home Secretary, if you came here illegally you didn’t touch the sides. You were sent back.

“So what I’m calling for isn’t particularly anything radical – it’s just common sense.”