Reform UK has said it would deploy Royal Navy vessels to intercept small boats crossing the English Channel and return migrants to France or Belgium under a proposal it calls “Operation Fortress”. Announcing the plans at a news conference, the party said the operation would involve what it described as the largest military deployment in the Channel since the Second World War. Reform said its home affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, would have the navy “intercept” boats and carry out the returns as part of what he called a humanitarian response. Yusuf said the scheme would be compatible with obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, arguing that Article 2 protects the right to life. He also said international maritime rules allow states to pick people up from vessels in danger, but not to take them to another country without consent. When asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme how such returns could be carried out if France did not agree, Yusuf acknowledged there could be a “diplomatic argument”. He said he believed the UK and France had a “commitment under international law” to process migrants. Navy Intercepts and Planned ReturnsReform’s proposal would, according to Yusuf, see Royal Navy ships intercept all migrant boats in the Channel. The plan is framed as a humanitarian mission, with Yusuf saying the approach would involve returning migrants to France or Belgium rather than allowing crossings to continue. The party also indicated it would use the navy as part of a broader attempt to control Channel arrivals, which it links to the scale of illegal migration across the route. Warnings Over Practicalities With FranceEnergy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said on Today programme that the policy would involve a prolonged dispute with France. She said government efforts should focus on disrupting criminal gangs and increasing enforcement, adding that ministers “absolutely needs to get a grip” on crossings. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to be “relentless” in tackling small boat journeys, while stressing that the UK needs an asylum system that offers safe routes. Burnham visited Dover over the weekend and said the government was “changing the whole approach” to Channel crossings. He said the number of enforcement officers targeting people-smuggling gangs had doubled on both sides of the Channel. Home Office figures showed that the number of National Crime Agency (NCA) officers working on smuggling operations had risen to almost 800, compared with 376 at the start of 2025. Channel Crossing NumbersMore than 2,000 migrants have reached the UK on small boats since Burnham became prime minister a fortnight ago. On Saturday, 326 people crossed the English Channel. Home Office data said crossings this year are down around 43% compared with the same period in 2025. The figures also show the number of small boats crossing the Channel has been trending down since it peaked in 2022, although it remains a major issue for UK border and asylum policy. Criticism From Defence and Opposition FiguresReform’s plan drew criticism from retired armed forces personnel and from the Conservative opposition. Retired Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe told the BBC that the UK’s border force is better placed to manage migrant arrivals than the navy. He said warships are designed for roles such as anti-submarine defence and are “not best used for ferrying people around”, adding that “you’re better off using an actual ferry”. Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said tackling illegal migration should begin with leaving the European Convention on Human Rights. Speaking on BBC Breakfast, he said this would allow the UK to deport people “within a week of arrival”, either back to their country of origin if possible or to a safe third country such as Rwanda if not. Philp said he believed the approach would create a “deterrent effect” by reducing the incentive to cross the Channel. Join the discussion? 3 August 2026
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