Hard-right Reform UK vow to use navy to stop small boats
The proposal comes days after thousands of migrants entered Spain's North African exclave of Ceuta from neighbouring Morocco, reigniting Europe's debate over irregular migration.
By July 31, 2026, 14,281 illegal migrants had entered the UK via small boats, according to official statistics. The hard-line Reform UK party, led by Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, unveiled plans on Monday for a major military operation in the English Channel to prevent further such crossings. This proposal, which experts and other parties dismissed as unfeasible, comes in the wake of thousands of migrants recently crossing into Spain's Ceuta from Morocco.
Farage promised that Britain's Royal Navy would intercept and return unauthorized vessels to France, a policy the Conservative government abandoned in 2020. Military experts and opposition parties argued that the plans lacked practicality and that Britain did not possess the necessary resources to carry them out. The Reform UK leader's comments came amid a series of scandals and financial investigations into the party, while the UK's next general election is scheduled for 2029.
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