Reform UK proposes navy migrant boat operation

On Monday, the hard-right United Kingdom — Reform UK party unveiled a 28-page policy document proposing 'Operation Fortress', which would deploy the United Kingdom — Royal Navy and Royal Marines to intercept and return small migrant boats to France, calling it 'the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War II'. The proposal, announced by leader Nigel Farage, comes amid a series of scandals and official probes into the party's finances, including investigations by the parliamentary standards commissioner into Richard Tice and Farage, and a police probe into donations. The plan was widely criticized by experts and other parties as unworkable, and would require Reform to win the next general election, not due until 2029. The announcement follows a mass influx of migrants into Spain's Spain — Ceuta exclave from Morocco, reigniting Europe's migration debate. The UK government, led by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, has pursued a different strategy, including a new three-year deal with France to fund law enforcement, which has reduced small boat arrivals by over 42% in the first half of 2026, though a daily record of 752 arrivals was set on July 29.