Reform UK insists using Navy to stop migrant boats would be legal
The party says under its plan it would override French objections to return migrants to France.
Nigel Farage has insisted his party's plans to intercept and return migrant boats using the Navy are legal, as critics branded the scheme unworkable.
Reform UK said it would use military personnel to forcibly return small boat migrants to French ports, even if France disagreed.
Speaking at a news conference, Reform leader Farage said he was "entirely confident" the plan could be justified under international maritime law.
The Conservatives have said the plan is not credible, while a Labour minister said it would lead to "a lot of time arguing with France" instead of "actually getting to grips with the problem".
Under the plans, which Reform said it would bring in if it entered government after the next election, military-crewed inflatable boats deployed from 10 Navy patrol vessels would be used to "come alongside" migrant boats crossing the English Channel.
Border Force officers and police stationed onboard would be tasked with arresting people in the boats, and they would then be returned to France or Belgium by Navy personnel or Marines.
The party said returns' operations would be conducted by military personnel with Border Force officers on hand in case of "non-compliance", with a Bay Class landing ship providing "detention capacity at sea" for up to 700 people.
Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Reform's home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf said the party would aim to get agreement to disembark arrested migrants at French ports.
But he added: "If the Elysee Palace refuses, make no mistake - His Majesty's Royal Marines will disembark them safely on the very shore they left that morning".
Between 1 January and 1 August 2026, a total of 14,526 people crossed the English Channel by small boat from France. This was down by 43% on the same period the previous year.
These crossings have become the most common way for people to be detected entering the UK illegally since 2020.
Nearly all those who arrive by small boat claim asylum. Under international law, this means they are allowed to stay in the country while their asylum application is considered.
Small boat arrivals made up 42% of asylum applications between April 2025 to March 2026.
Boats that arrived in the UK from 2 August 2025 to 1 August 2026 carried an average of 67 people. This has more than doubled since 2021.
Experts say overcrowding in boats makes crossings riskier. At least 84 people died while attempting to cross the Channel in 2024, according to the United Nations (UN).
When looking at the scale of small boats crossings, the number of these arrivals is about 5% of the size
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