France has declared that a Reform UK policy to have Royal Marines return Channel migrants to French beaches would be a "violation" of sovereignty, setting up a potential diplomatic clash if Nigel Farage wins office. The French Interior Ministry claimed the plan "would be a violation of French sovereignty as well as a violation of maritime law and international law."
Farage's Plan and French Reaction
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said deploying British military assets will "save lives" and "help the French" to end the crisis. The party warned the Elysee Palace that it will have no choice but to accept those detected in dinghies.
A spokesperson for the French interior ministry added: "Separately, as part of the measures put in place with the UK and the arrangements deployed at the local level, the interior ministry states that the number of crossings is down in 2026."
Reform's Stance
Reform has insisted the plan is legal and even complies with the ECHR. Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesman, said: "Let me be crystal clear. A Reform Government will show unflinching resolve that those who set out from France to break into Britain will go back to France.
"That is our policy, not a future negotiation with the French Government. While France gets to decide how they land, knowing we would much rather disembark people in port, walk people down a gangway and hand them to French authorities.
"That is more dignified and it is what we will negotiate.
"Those are the only two options. There is no third option where a British government under Reform just shrugs its shoulders and brings them back to Dover."
Farage's Justification
Mr Farage said of his looming war of words: "For the French, there are very big upsides. Life from Dunkirk, through Calais, through Wimereux, all of those rather beautiful little villages, is now hell.
"People stay locked in their houses. You can't resell a house. There's crime, there's litter, there's vandalism, there's gang violence, stabbings and a couple of shootings.
"Dealing with this problem would be a great, great relief to the people of France.
"Attitudes are starting to change."
Mr Farage said the move would be justified to save lives at sea. He added: "These big mega dinghies, we saw one last week with 165 people on it, 90 to 100 is now common.
"It is astonishing we've not had a mass casualty event for some time.
"Picking these people up out of these boats and returning them to the nearest safe destination and to a safe country, we believe it is within international law of the sea.
"This doesn't mean the French Government themselves will welcome it, but hey, we've given them a billion pounds to stop the boats and we're just helping them."
Reform's Assurance
Reform added: "We believe that, as a lawful humanitarian mission, the French Government will authorise passage and indeed uphold its obligations under returns and other agreements with Britain to stop small boats departing.
"We do not believe for one moment that the French Navy or Gendarmerie would open fire on Royal Marines conducting a humanitarian mission and transporting civilians.
"France is one of our closest allies and a fellow member of NATO. That is not a serious hypothetical and the likelihood of tactical confrontation is incredibly low under any scenario."
Concerns from Former Navy Chiefs
Former Navy chiefs warned the policy could divert British warships from monitoring Russian vessels. Former commander Tom Sharpe said the Navy will be thinking "******* hell, not again".
He told the Daily Express: "What is the Royal Navy doing this with? What are we taking off current tasking to do it and what does that add that the Border Force and RNLI doesn't already have in terms of the ability to move these people around?"
Mr Sharpe added: "Are we recalling the Batch 2 Offshore Patrol Vessels from around the world to do this? What about frigates and destroyers, are we using them?
"In which case are we not escorting dark fleet ships or Russian corvettes or Russian submarines?
"This is the business for prioritisation and I think people need to be aware that if you're just going to switch everything to this task, you're going to have to stop doing a bunch of other stuff."
Operational Details
The Royal Marines and Royal Navy sailors will be able to use lethal force "in self-defence or defence of others against an imminent threat to life". Mr Yusuf told the Daily Express this could include cases where intelligence has confirmed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps terrorists are crossing the Channel, or notorious members of smuggling gangs are crossing.
Reform said it would set up a joint military command with units from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and British Army as well as a surveillance. It said the navy's River-class offshore patrol vessels would be used for interception. The ships' current responsibilities include monitoring Russian naval activity around British waters. And Bay-Class Landship ships could be used to accommodate hundreds of migrants before they are taken back to France.
Mr Yusuf said: "Once the world realises that crossing the Channel illegally leads only to being intercepted by our Royal Marines and returned to France, the incentive structure breaks. These economic migrants will stop paying smugglers and the boats will stop coming."
Reform said the plan would not involve the use of so-called "pushbacks" by towing or barging their dinghies away from British waters. The navy would intercept any unauthorised boats and detain their occupants, giving them water, food and a medical assessment before returning them to France or Belgium under escort on navy vessels, it said.
