A newspaper columnist has directly challenged Reform UK's proposal to use "lethal force" against migrants crossing the Channel, arguing that such calls ignore the desperate reality faced by refugees. Ros Wynne-Jones, writing for the Mirror, addressed her open letter to Robert Jenrick, following his suggestion that the Royal Navy should be allowed to use lethal force against migrants.
A Personal Encounter in Calais
Wynne-Jones recalled meeting Wissam, a disabled Syrian boy, in Calais during a trip with Lord Alf Dubs. The boy's parents were living in a rubbish dump, trying to keep him alive so he could reach Britain for medical treatment. She described trying to find a legal route to safety, but none existed, even for a Lord and a national newspaper.
The family eventually crossed by boat, a journey that contributed to Wissam's death at age seven. His parents faced an impossible choice: certain death on the rubbish dump or likely death on the boat. Wynne-Jones asked Jenrick whether such parents are the kind of people he would deal with using lethal force.
Stories Behind the Headlines
The columnist also shared the story of Karim, a 22-year-old Afghan poet whose parents, hunted by the Taliban, sent him to safety. He made five attempts to cross the Channel. Karim described watching three young men drown from a deflating dinghy, with no one counting how many were on board.
She also mentioned Abdul, who lost his entire family and village in a massacre by the Janjaweed in Darfur at age seven. He later wrote a book with Wynne-Jones called The Journey, about his years seeking safety, which eventually led him to work with horses in Swindon.
A Challenge to Politicians
Wynne-Jones questioned whether Jenrick would last a night in Calais, in a freezing tent, with armed police destroying his tent and burning his clothes. She asked what he would do if the Taliban came knocking, or if he lived on a rubbish dump with a disabled child.
She accused the party of dehumanising migrants, calling them "rats or vermin" and "migrants, not people." She noted that it is "Small Boats season," meaning it is "right-wing politicians trying to get attention" season, as they compete with each other. She referenced Zia Yusuf raising the stakes, forcing others to go higher.
Wynne-Jones concluded by saying that if Jenrick is ready to threaten people whose shoes he has never walked in, he should at least know who he would be unleashing lethal force against. She also referenced Andy Burnham, who holds Nigel Farage "significantly responsible" for the UK's miserable decade.
