Nigel Farage reveals plan to jail lawyers who help illegal migrants make false gay claims

Reform UK has pledged to prosecute lawyers who help illegal migrants make false claims about being homosexual.

Nigel Farage's party plans to make facilitating false asylum claims a "strict liability" criminal offence, meaning prosecutors would not have to show intent, with a potential two-year prison sentence.

The policy would bring the practice in line with the current legislation in place for lawyers and legal firms that fail to prevent bribery and tax evasion.

“If you were a corrupt accountant and you got your client to avoid paying tax that they legally should be paying, well, it’s very simple, that accountant can be open to criminal charge," Mr Farage told The Telegraph.

"The same should happen to this industry that has now sprung up amongst our legal profession, the illegal immigration industry.

“If you’re a lawyer giving illegal information like this to somebody, not only could that person pose a threat to women and girls or even national security, but you, as a lawyer, should yourself be subject to prosecution.”

It comes after a BBC investigation exposed law firms and advisers charging thousands of pounds to help asylum seekers pretend to be gay so they could make a successful claim to stay in the UK.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has promised lawyers would "face the full force of the law" for assisting with false claims.

She said: "Anyone abusing protections for people fleeing persecution over gender or sexual orientation is beyond contempt."

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Here's what's happening in Westminster today

Good morning and welcome to the Politics Live blog. Here's what's happening this morning in Westminister and beyond.

Rachel Reeves is in Washington today for the International Monetary Fund (IMF) spring meetings, as the Chancellor has stepped up criticism of US-Israeli military action in Iran, saying war was a "mistake" and has not made the world a safer place.

We've just been joined by Business Secretary Peter Kyle, who explained the "leak of contingency plans", as he addressed reports that CO2 supplies could fall to just 18 per cent of current levels, triggering major disruption across the food industry.

Also, the latest Office for National Statistics figures have just dropped revealing the UK economy grew by 0.5 per cent in February. Our personal finance correspondent Temi Laleye has the full write up here.

Closer to home, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has accused the SNP of being "completely obsessed with tearing our country apart".

John Swinney's party, which is launching their manifesto later today, hitting back saying the "Tories have absolutely nothing to offer the people of Scotland."

Sir Keir Starmer will summon social media bosses to Downing Street as the Prime Minister weighs up new restrictions to protect children. Our reporter Peter Stevens has the full story here.

We'll be joined by Reform's Home Affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf later this morning as well as his Liberal Democrat counterpart Max Wilkinson.