Reform UK plan to return asylum seekers using navy ‘dangerous in practice’

What the report says

Reform UK has proposed sending the Royal Navy to intercept and return asylum seekers crossing the English Channel, a plan its leader Nigel Farage has called “Operation Fortress.” Al Jazeera reported that the party framed the idea as “rescue and return” and said it would stop what Reform describes as an “invasion” of Britain, with Farage promising that people would be sent back to their point of departure.

The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from legal, military and migration experts, and it has also raised tensions with France. Al Jazeera reported that analysts said the plan would likely require French cooperation, which appears unlikely, and could jeopardize existing cooperation on intelligence sharing and patrols along the French coast. The Centre for Military Justice said the idea would conflict with maritime law, while University of London professor Sarah Singer said summary returns would run counter to UK and European rules requiring individual asylum assessments.

Former Navy Commander Tom Sharpe also warned the scheme would be risky in practice, saying it would be hard for naval crews to justify entering French waters without a genuine rescue situation. The article noted that similar ideas were discussed under the previous Conservative government but were later dropped after military concerns. Reform officials, meanwhile, argued the policy would save lives and described it as a humanitarian response to dangerous Channel crossings.