Reform government would prosecute refugee charity workers for ‘helping illegal migrants’

Workers for a charity supporting refugees would face criminal prosecution under a future Reform government, the party has announced.

In a statement released on Wednesday through Reform’s controversial SmallBoatsWatch app, and seen by The Independent, the party declared staff working for refugee assistance charity Care4Calais “can expect to be prosecuted”.

The party’s shadow home secretary Zia Yusuf branded the organisation’s legal support for asylum seekers a “criminal racket operating in plain sight” that actively helps “illegal migrant men break into Britain”.

He defended the policy as a vital step to "secure [the country’s] borders”.

A spokesperson for Care4Calais told The Independent: “Reform threatening humanitarian aid workers whilst charities are at the receiving end of far-right aggression is beyond irresponsible.

“It serves only to encourage escalating intimidation towards our staff and volunteers.

“When it comes to who needs to be prosecuted, we would suggest looking closer to home.”

The last comment references the recent development that the Metropolitan Police has launched a criminal investigation into claims the party breached party donation rules on illegal foreign funding.

Care4Calais, which spans across the UK, France and Belgium, operates on the principle that “there is no such thing as an ‘illegal’ person seeking asylum,” and maintains it does not encourage Channel crossings.

In practice, the volunteer-run organisation distributes basic supplies and connects asylum seekers with legal representatives, interpreters, and healthcare services.

By delegitimising such forms of legal and humanitarian support, the charity warned frontline workers will increasingly face the brunt of physical violence.

Rights groups have repeatedly warned that political rhetoric framing humanitarian workers as "facilitators" carries severe real-world consequences.

It comes after crews from the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) reported facing growing levels of harassment, online abuse, and physical interference in the wake of recent anti-migrant protests.

Far-right activist Daniel Thomas, known as Danny Tommo, appeared in court on suspicion of criminal damage on Friday after he was accused of slashing a boat in the English Channel with an emergency responder on board.

Earlier last month, Mr Yusuf pledged that a win for Reform UK leader Nigel Farage would see the board of mobile giant Vodafone “held criminally liable” after learning the network had provided 2,500 free SIM cards to organisations supporting refugees.

Accusing the firm of "aiding and abetting" cross-Channel arrivals, the party demanded the immediate deactivation of the cards. Vodafone has since dismissed the claims, stating its charitable scheme provides mobile connectivity to strictly regulated charities in the UK.

Reform’s leadership has repeatedly promised a total overhaul of the country’s legal and enforcement landscape to dismantle what the party regards as "legal barriers" blocking deportations.

Condemned as a “sadistic vision” by refugee charity Work Rights Centre, proposals have included plans to launch an “ICE-style” deportation agency, establish large-scale detention facilities, and deploy the Royal Navy to forcibly intercept and return small boat arrivals.

The policy against Care4Calais was delivered via Reform's SmallBoatsWatch app, which launched earlier this month to track daily Channel crossings.

While the party has framed the software as a transparency tool to keep voters informed, human rights groups have widely condemned the app – which launched alongside a mobile mini-game – as a partisan gimmick designed to “gamify” human suffering.

Reform UK did not respond to The Independent’s requests for comment.