Reform UK unveiled a plan Monday to use the Royal Navy and Royal Marines to forcibly return migrants crossing the English Channel back to France, describing it as the largest military operation in the Channel since World War Two.
Under the proposal, military-crewed inflatable boats deployed from Navy patrol vessels would come alongside boats making the crossing. Border Force officers and police would arrest the people on board, and Royal Navy personnel or Marines would then return them to France or Belgium.
Reform's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said the party would first seek to disembark migrants at French ports with agreement from the French government. But he said the party would act regardless of French consent.
"We would far rather disembark people in port, walk people down a gangway and hand them to the French authorities properly," he said. "But if the Elysee Palace refuses, make no mistake - His Majesty's Royal Marines will disembark them safely on the very shore they left that morning."
Reform leader Nigel Farage framed the proposal around the purpose of the navy itself. "When you think about it, what is the Royal Navy for?" he said. "If the Royal Navy is not there to protect this country from invasion, then, frankly, I can't see what its purpose is."
Yusuf described the scheme as humanitarian and argued it would be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights under Article 2, which protects the right to life. He acknowledged the UK and France could have a diplomatic argument if France refused to accept migrants escorted back, but said France had a commitment under international law to process them.
Critics pushed back immediately. The Conservatives called the policy not credible. Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh told BBC Radio 4 that the plan would mean spending a lot of time arguing with France. She said the government absolutely needs to get a grip on small boat crossings, but pointed to Prime Minister Andy Burnham's approach as the right path.
International maritime law permits states to rescue people from vessels in danger, but does not allow them to be taken to another country without that nation's consent.
Home Office figures show more than 2,000 migrants have arrived in the UK on small boats since Burnham became prime minister. On Saturday alone, 326 people crossed the Channel. Despite that, crossings so far this year are down around 43% compared to the same period in 2025, and the overall trend has been downward since a peak in 2022.
