Reform UK has vowed that, if it wins the next General Election, it will order the Royal Navy to intercept every small boat crossing the English Channel and return those on board to France. Nigel Farage will vow to launch the "largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two" to end the small boat migrant crisis.
The proposal, named "Operation Fortress", would ensure that "not a single illegal migrant crossing the Channel will make it to our shores", according to party chiefs. It follows chaotic scenes in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave, where 60,000 migrants stormed in and at least 86 people died – many after huge numbers of men attempted to swim to Tarajal beach, with others killed in a stampede as asylum seekers charged through border gates.
Zia Yusuf of Reform UK visited Ceuta at the weekend and said: "The militarisation of the border has stopped the flow and successfully sent the majority back."
Operation Fortress
Unveiling the policy, Mr Farage's home affairs spokesman declared: "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."
"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. To those with no right to enter Britain, our border will be impenetrable."
"Under a Reform UK Government, nobody coming across the Channel by boat illegally will make it to our shores. That is how we stop the boats. We will stop the invasion."
Mr Farage and Mr Yusuf are expected to present the proposals at a press conference on Monday. Retired senior Royal Navy and Royal Marines officers have already backed the plan, Reform UK said.
Party officials described deploying the military "to escort and return boat migrants to their point of departure" as "both a proportionate and necessary response to the invasion of Britain". They added: "Given over 160 migrants have died making the journey, it is also a humanitarian response that will save lives in the Channel."
Under the plan, personnel and units from the Navy, Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force would operate under a "joint military command". Migrants detected in the Channel would be given food, water and medical assistance before being escorted back.
French response questioned
Highlighting a potential diplomatic flashpoint with France, Reform UK added: "This plan assists the French in complying with their obligations to stop crossings and we do not believe President Macron would order the French Navy to open fire on a boat full of civilians escorted by Royal Marines conducting a humanitarian mission."
Home Office opposition
But Home Office documents seen by the Daily Express suggest border chiefs have completely ruled out such tactics. Border Security Commander Duncan Capps told Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood: "Small boat crossings are a border security threat requiring a law enforcement response but intervening to physically stop boats once at sea is almost always unsafe and in breach of international treaty obligations."
"Maritime teams across government have explored numerous options to prevent maritime arrivals progressing through UK waters and found them ineffective and dangerous. Small boats are far too overcrowded and fragile for direct intervention, with immediate risk of a mass casualty event. For these reasons, the focus of our small boat response in the Channel and Kent is to save lives by providing a search and rescue response, gathering evidence for later identification and arrest of OIC facilitators, and managing immediate impacts on the UK."
Crossing figures
More than 2,000 people have crossed the English Channel in small boats since Andy Burnham became Prime Minister. On Saturday, 326 asylum seekers arrived in four boats.
Mr Burnham has said the Government's plan to curb Channel crossings is working, with numbers down year on year, but admitted more needs to be done. On Friday, he said measures brought in by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood have "started to make a difference".
He added: "Although this is the peak period of the year for crossings, overall the number of crossings is down, the number of removals of people is up. So, there is progress, but we both recognise that we need to do more."
Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK. The provisional total for the year stands at 14,526.
Smuggling gangs
Intelligence officials believe they have "degraded" the capability of smuggling gangs. Joint operations between British and French authorities have led to the arrests of 48 "organised immigration crime facilitators". Mr Capps revealed: "Many of them performed critical roles in organising boat departures or supplying boats and engines."
Increased patrols in Calais and Dunkirk have caused a "geographic displacement" of the gangs. In response, kingpins have adopted a "just-in-time" production line, with boats and engines moved from warehouses, often in Western Germany, to the French coast within hours. They are also more reliant than ever on "taxi-boats" – or mega dinghies – to make the "most of available supplies".
Deadly crossing
An African migrant died after a 124-mile, 16-hour journey from Saint-Aubin-sur-Mer, north of Caen in Seine-Maritime, to between Hardelot and Dannes. It was the longest journey ever attempted, with the beach a staggering 223 miles from Calais.
