Reform UK unveils migrant boats crackdown

Reform UK has unveiled plans for what it describes as “the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two” to halt the arrival of small boats from France.

Under a government led by Nigel Farage, the party proposes deploying the Royal Navy to intercept all migrant vessels and return them to either France or Belgium, a strategy dubbed “Operation Fortress”.

The party asserts that this ambitious plan aligns with international law, aiming not only to stop illegal crossings but also to serve as a humanitarian response. However, the Labour Party has dismissed the announcement as “reheated”, arguing that “anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down”.

Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesman, articulated the party’s stark view, stating: “Britain is being invaded. Tory and Labour governments responded with a free ferry service and free hotels. Reform UK will respond by launching the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two.”

He added: “Nigel Farage will order his Majesty’s Royal Navy to ensure that not a single unauthorised vessel crossing the English Channel makes it to the shores of the United Kingdom. Those who attempt it will be intercepted by our Armed Forces and returned to France.” Yusuf claimed the move would render the border “impenetrable”, ensuring “nobody” could reach UK shores via small boat.

To achieve this, Reform UK proposes establishing a joint military command, integrating units from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF, and British Army. This would be complemented by a dedicated surveillance command to track incoming boats. The armed forces would be tasked with intercepting unauthorised vessels, detaining occupants, providing water, food, and medical assessments, before escorting them back on navy vessels. The party also indicated it would pass emergency legislation “as necessary” to grant the joint command any additional required powers.

Reform UK cited the recent situation in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where approximately 60,000 migrants breached the border, as evidence of the “urgency” for its plan.

Most of those migrants had returned to Morocco by Sunday. The party framed its plan’s fundamental objective as humanitarian, claiming it would save lives in the Channel, where 162 people died between 2018 and 2025, according to the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory. A Labour Party spokesperson criticised Reform UK, stating: “Reform have reheated an old announcement in their latest desperate bid to distract from their growing sleaze scandals. Anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down.” The spokesperson added: “The serious action we’ve taken has started to have a real impact and has led to 46,000 attempted crossings stopped, and 70,000 people with no right to be here removed. We know there’s more to do on this complex issue.”

The announcement comes as the English Channel recorded its busiest day for small boat crossings this year last Wednesday, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK. However, the overall number of arrivals for the year so far has seen a significant drop compared to previous periods. The provisional total stands at 14,526, marking a 43 per cent decrease from the 25,436 recorded by this time last year, and a 14 per cent reduction from the 16,903 during the same period in 2024.

In a separate development, Rupert Lowe, a former Reform UK MP who has since founded his own Restore party, extended an offer of collaboration to Farage. In a video posted on X, Lowe expressed willingness to set aside differences if Reform UK adopted some of Restore’s policies, including a ban on the burqa and Halal meat, and a referendum on the death penalty. He also stipulated that any future Cabinet under Farage should exclude former Conservative ministers, such as Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman.

Lowe stated: “I truly believe there could be sufficient common ground for our two movements to co-operate collectively (to) destroy the looming left-wing alliance that will finish off what hope remains for this country. We have recently shown how effectively co-operation can work locally on the Norfolk County Council, so why not at national level?” Farage’s response on social media appeared lukewarm, suggesting there would “always be a home in Reform UK” for those rejecting the two main parties and seeking a “fundamentally different direction” for the country. He affirmed he was building a “broad coalition” but maintained that “only one party truly has the possibility of delivering change.”