Reform UK has pledged to launch what it calls "the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two" as part of its Operation Fortress plan to stop small boat crossings. Under a Nigel Farage-led administration, the Royal Navy would be deployed to intercept every migrant vessel and return them to France or Belgium.
The party insists the proposal is compliant with international law and would both halt small boat arrivals and serve as a humanitarian measure. Labour 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, said: "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 action would render the border "impenetrable".
Ceuta cited as evidence of urgency
The party pointed to events in Ceuta, the Spanish enclave in North Africa, where approximately 60,000 migrants breached the frontier earlier this week, as evidence of the "urgency" behind Reform's UK blueprint. The majority of those migrants had returned to neighbouring Morocco by Sunday.
Reform UK described the core aim of the proposal as humanitarian, saying it would prevent loss of life in the Channel. Figures from the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory show 162 people lost their lives in the English Channel between 2018 and 2025.
Joint military command and emergency legislation
The proposal includes establishing a joint military command with units from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and British Army, along with a surveillance command to monitor approaching vessels. Armed forces would intercept unauthorised vessels, detain those on board, provide water, food and a medical assessment, then escort them back on navy ships. Emergency legislation would be passed "as necessary" to grant the joint command additional powers.
Crossing numbers fall despite recent peak
Last Wednesday saw the highest number of small boat crossings this year, with 752 migrants reaching the UK. However, overall arrivals for 2026 so far have fallen compared with last year. The provisional total stands at 14,526, a 43% decrease from 25,436 at the same point last year and a 14% reduction on the 16,903 recorded in 2024.
A Labour Party spokesperson said: "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 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."
Lowe makes approach to Farage
Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, who has since set up his own Restore party, made an approach to Farage. In a video posted on X, he said he was willing to set aside differences and have their parties collaborate, provided Reform UK adopted certain Restore policies, including a ban on the burqa and Halal meat, and a referendum on the death penalty. He also stipulated that Farage would need to pledge to exclude former Conservative ministers, such as Tory defectors Robert Jenrick and Suella Braverman, from a prospective Cabinet.
Lowe said: "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." He also pointed to local co-operation on Norfolk County Council, asking: "We have recently shown how effectively co-operation can work locally on the Norfolk County Council, so why not at national level?"
Farage appeared to respond mutedly in a social media post, stating there will "always be a home in Reform UK" for those who reject the two main parties and believe the country requires a "fundamentally different direction". He said he was assembling a "broad coalition", while insisting "only one party truly has the possibility of delivering change".
