Reform has pledged to use the Royal Navy to “intercept” small boats crossing the Channel and return them to France. But it isn’t quite that simple. Nigel Farage’s party said the plan would constitute the “largest military operation” in the Channel since the Second World War and would be coined ‘Operation Fortress’. More than 2,000 migrants have arrived on small boats since Andy Burnham became prime minister last month, but crossings so far this year are down around 43 per cent compared to the same period in 2025. Professor Kevin Rowlands, who worked on Operation Sophia, an EU naval mission […]

Reform UK’s spokesman claimed the move would render the border ‘impenetrable’, ensuring ‘nobody’ could reach UK shores via small boat

Operation Fortress, would see the Royal Navy put to work protecting Britain's borders and towing any small boats back to France.