# Navy to tow boats back to France, says Reform: Party unveils ‘Operation Fortress’ to combat Channel migrants

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/navy-to-tow-boats-back-to-france-says-reform-party-unveils-operation-fortress-to-combat-channel-migrants/
- Published: 2026-08-02T21:44:54+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T18:09:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16023539/Navy-tow-boats-France-says-Reform-Party-unveils-Operation-Fortress-combat-Channel-migrants.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Art, Culture, Europe, UK, World

## Key points

- Reform UK proposes Navy operation to tow migrant boats back to France
- Plan permits lethal force against confirmed terrorists or smugglers
- Critics say Navy lacks ships and France's cooperation isn't guaranteed

## Summary

Reform UK is set to unveil "Operation Fortress", a policy that would see the Royal Navy tow migrant boats crossing the English Channel back to France, in what the party describes as the biggest military operation in the Channel since the Second World War. Home affairs spokesman Zia Yusuf will present the plan, backed by unnamed former senior military figures, accusing previous Conservative and Labour governments of effectively offering migrants "a free ferry service and free hotels". The proposal is likely to prove highly contentious, both legally and diplomatically, as it depends on French cooperation that is far from guaranteed.

Under the plan, Nigel Farage would order the Navy to intercept every unauthorised vessel and return it to France, with lethal force permitted if intelligence confirms the presence of terrorists or smuggling gang leaders. Reform argues the approach complies with international law, though maritime law only allows rescued migrants to be transferred to a state that agrees to accept them, and France would need to consent. More than 160 migrants have died crossing the Channel since 2018, and critics including former Royal Navy commander Tom Sharpe have questioned the plan's feasibility, noting the Navy lacks suitable vessels for the task and that warships built for anti-air or anti-submarine warfare are poorly suited to ferrying people.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.