Reform UK will launch 'largest military operation since WW2' to end small boat crossings if party wins next general election

Reform UK will launch what it describes as the "largest military operation since World War II' to end small boat crossings, if the party wins the next general election.

Under the plan, dubbed "Operation Fortress," a government led by Nigel Farage would dispatch the Royal Navy to intercept every migrant vessel attempting to cross from France and escort them back to French or Belgian waters.

The party insists the scheme complies with international law and would serve both as a border security measure and a humanitarian initiative.

Zia Yusuf, Reform's home affairs spokesman, declared: "Britain is being invaded. Tory and Labour governments responded with a free ferry service and free hotels."

He pledged that Mr Farage would "order his Majesty's Royal Navy to ensure that not a single unauthorised vessel crossing the English Channel makes it to the shores of the United Kingdom."

The border, Mr Yusuf claimed, would become "impenetrable."

The operational blueprint envisages a joint military command drawing together personnel from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, the RAF and the British Army, alongside a dedicated surveillance unit tasked with monitoring approaching vessels.

Once an unauthorised boat is detected and intercepted, its occupants would be taken into custody by armed forces personnel.

Detainees would receive water, food and a medical evaluation before being transported back across the Channel aboard navy ships.

Reform has also indicated it would push through emergency legislation where needed to furnish the joint command with any additional legal powers required to carry out the operation.

Mr Yusuf stated that "nobody" would be able to reach British shores by small boat under the scheme.

Reform pointed to events in the Spanish exclave of Ceuta in North Africa, where roughly 60,000 migrants crossed the border into Spanish territory earlier this week, as evidence of the pressing need for its proposals.

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The party framed the core purpose of Operation Fortress as a life-saving mission.

Between 2018 and 2025, 162 people lost their lives attempting to cross the English Channel, according to figures from the University of Oxford's Migration Observatory.

The announcement came days after the busiest single day for small boat arrivals this year.

Wednesday saw 752 migrants reach Britain, underscoring the scale of the challenge that continues to dominate political debate.

Labour dismissed the proposal as a recycled policy designed to draw attention away from the party's own difficulties.

A party spokesman said: "Reform have reheated an old announcement in their latest desperate bid to distract from their growing sleaze scandals.

“Anger and easy answers won’t bring crossings down. The serious action we’ve taken have started to have a real impact and has led to 46,000 attempted crossings stopped, and 70,000 people with no right to be here removed.

“We know there’s more to do on this complex issue. What is far less complicated is Nigel Farage’s brazen attempts to dodge scrutiny over his secret £5 million gift from a crypto billionaire.

"It’s time he stopped the distraction tactics and came clean with the public.”

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