Nigel Farage says Reform would use Navy to stop small boats as over 1,000 migrants cross Channel in a week - AOL

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party would use the Royal Navy to intercept and forcibly return small boats crossing the English Channel, under a plan called “Operation Fortress.” Speaking in London on Monday, Farage said the operation would comply with international law by transporting migrants back to France or Belgium. He described it as humanitarian and claimed it could save money and help France stop the boats. Home Office figures cited 1,176 people reaching the UK from France in the prior seven days. The provisional 2026 total is 14,526, down 43% versus the same point in 2025. Reform said it would create a joint command involving Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and British Army units, using River-class offshore patrol vessels for interception without “pushbacks.”