Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, has proposed deploying the Royal Navy to intercept and return asylum seekers crossing the English Channel, a plan dubbed “Operation Fortress”. Farage insists it is a humanitarian “rescue and return” mission, not pushbacks, and would not violate international law. However, France has strongly opposed the idea, and analysts warn it could lead to a major diplomatic crisis.
Experts argue the plan is unrealistic and legally problematic. International maritime law does not permit armed forces to enter another state's territorial waters to seize and return people, and such actions could be seen as an act of aggression. France might suspend cooperation on intelligence and border patrols, and the plan could face legal challenges. Critics also note that similar proposals under Boris Johnson's government were abandoned as unworkable.