France Rejects Reform UK Plan To Return Migrants By Navy

France has criticised a proposal by Reform UK to intercept migrant boats in the English Channel and return people to French ports using the Royal Navy, saying the approach would breach French sovereignty and international law.

Nigel Farage’s party said that, if elected, it would stop vessels crossing the Channel and push them back to France even if the French government opposed the plan. Opposition parties said it was impractical, while Labour ministers argued it would lead to prolonged disagreement with France rather than tackling smuggling networks.

In response to the French government, a Reform spokesperson said the party would “stand up for British interests” and protect people in Britain “whether Emmanuel Macron likes it or not”. The spokesperson added that the policy would be consistent with humanitarian obligations and would not contravene maritime or international law.

Reform’s Proposed Navy Returns

Reform said the measures would be introduced after the next general election. It proposed deploying military-crewed inflatable boats from 10 Navy patrol vessels to “come alongside” migrant craft crossing the Channel.

Under the plan, Border Force officers and police would be stationed on board and tasked with arresting people on the boats. Those arrested would then be returned to France or Belgium, carried out by Navy personnel or Marines.

Reform said returns would involve military personnel with Border Force officers present for “non-compliance”, and that a Bay Class landing ship would provide “detention capacity at sea” for up to 700 people.

Speaking on Monday, Reform’s home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said the party would seek agreement for arrested migrants to be brought ashore at French ports. Farage played down the prospect of a diplomatic confrontation, claiming attitudes in France were “softening”.

France Cites Sovereignty And Law Of The Sea

Later on Monday, the French interior ministry said the proposal would violate French sovereignty and breach the law of the sea and international law.

The ministry also pointed to steps agreed with the UK and actions taken at local level, saying they had already reduced crossings during the first part of this year compared with the same period in 2025.

Reform’s policy paper argued the scheme would be lawful under international law because it was aimed at protecting people on dangerous boats. It referenced the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires states to render assistance to persons in danger at sea.

Farage said he believed the party’s approach of “securely picking people up and safely taking them back” would comply with other international conventions.

Legal experts cited limits on what such rules allow. Andrew Serdy, a public international law expert on the law of the sea at the University of Southampton, said Reform would need France’s agreement, calling it a “bold assumption”. James Turner KC, a maritime lawyer at Quadrant Chambers, told BBC Verify that UNCLOS allows states to prevent immigration law breaches in a “contiguous zone” up to 24 nautical miles from their coasts. However, he said that did not amount to a right to collect asylum seekers and return them to the departure state from that zone or elsewhere.

Channel Crossings And Political Reaction

The debate comes as more than 2,000 migrants have arrived in the UK on small boats since Andy Burnham became prime minister two weeks ago. Home Office figures show 326 people crossed the Channel on Saturday, and crossings so far this year are down by around 43% compared with the same period in 2025.

Overall, the number of small boats crossing the Channel has fallen from the level recorded when it peaked in 2022, according to Home Office data.

Energy Secretary Miatta Fahnbulleh said the Labour government’s strategy against smuggling gangs was “a model that is working”, and said she did not believe Reform’s plan would succeed, pointing to the Navy involvement as an example of “gimmicky” ideas previously explored by the Conservatives. She said the approach would mean “a lot of time arguing with France”.

The prime minister visited Dover at the weekend, saying the government was “changing the whole approach” to small boats. The Home Office reported that the number of National Crime Agency officers tackling smugglers has risen to almost 800 from 376 at the start of 2025.

Conservative shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Reform’s plan was not credible, adding that the party could not explain how migrants would be disembarked in France if the French government did not agree.

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4 August 2026