Judy Finnigan has condemned Reform UK's proposal to deploy the Royal Navy against small boats crossing the Channel as 'delusional' and 'pub politics'. Writing in her column, she insists that while she wants illegal immigration controlled and secure borders, the idea of confronting rubber dinghies with warships is fraught with danger.
Reform's plan under fire
The party's proposal, touted this week, would involve transferring would-be asylum seekers to Navy boats and taking them back to French shores. Reform spokesman Zia Yusuf suggested this would be straightforward, but Finnigan highlights the practical difficulties of boarding frail, overloaded craft and the likely French reaction to British warships in their territorial waters.
Indeed, France quickly stated that such action would breach maritime and international law and that it would not tolerate violations of its sovereign waters. Finnigan notes that the Royal Navy has a duty to uphold maritime law, making it hard to see how a ship's captain could follow such an order from a Reform-led government.
Farage's response and the wider issue
Nigel Farage told French President Emmanuel Macron to 'get lost' in response, but Finnigan dismisses this as 'desperate stuff'. She acknowledges that stronger measures to stop the boats are overdue, but argues that numbers arriving are significantly down year-on-year. She calls the chest-beating posturing 'embarrassing' and urges a sensible, efficient, fair and kind immigration and asylum policy instead.
