Farage claims Reform government would stop the boats 'within a fortnight'
The Conservatives labelled the plans as a "gimmick" and accused the party of failing to make clear how they would be paid for
Nigel Farage has declared that Reform would stop the boats "within a fortnight" by deploying the Royal Navy to the Channel.
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Speaking at a press conference on Monday, the Reform UK leader unveiled the party's Operation Fortress migration plan, claiming it would stop the boats and save lives.
Farage said he was "very confident" that the policy, which would involve picking people up and taking them back to France, was compliant with international law.
“And when you think about it, what is the Royal Navy for? If the Royal Navy is not there to protect this country from invasion, then frankly I can’t see what its purpose is.”
He added that "whilst this issue may not be uppermost in the minds of many in Westminster, I can tell you out in the country it is.
“And that comes down to a simple point, fairness. What is fair, what is right, what is wrong.”
It comes after Zia Yusuf, the party’s home affairs spokesman, said that Britain was being "invaded" by migrants and said the party would "launch the largest military operation in the English Channel since World War Two".
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He said the move would make the border “impenetrable” and that “nobody” will be able to make it to UK shores via small boat.
The party said the situation in the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta, where some 60,000 migrants breached the border to enter Spanish territory earlier this week, shows the “urgency” of Reform’s plan for the UK.
Most of the migrants in Ceuta had walked back to neighbouring Morocco by Sunday.
Speaking on Monday, Farage said he was "entirely confident" that "within a fortnight" of a Reform government taking office, "there would be no more boats".
Mr Yusuf added that "not a single illegal migrant trying to reach our shores will make it to Britain" under a Farage premiership.
"To those with no right to enter Britain, our border will be impenetrable," he added.
"Once the world realises that crossing the Channel illegally leads only to being intercepted by our Royal Marines and returned to France, the incentive structure breaks.
"These economic migrants will stop paying smugglers and the boats will stop coming.
Asked about how the French would respond to the plan, Farage insisted attitudes there were "Starting to change".
But he admitted: “Are we there yet, can I guarantee you that they’ll welcome this with open arms? I can’t."
The Conservatives labelled the plans as a "gimmick" and accused the party of failing to make clear how they would be paid for.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: "Reform UK have no detailed plan nor funding to back up their latest gimmick.
"They can’t explain how they will properly fund the military and they can’t explain how they would disembark illegal immigrants in France without French cooperation."
Farage also said that he was "open-minded" about the possibility of entering a pact with Restore leader and ex-Reform MP Rupert Lowe.
On Sunday Lowe approached the Reform leader about a possible future alliance.
Farage said he had responded to Lowe's offer "with an open mind, as I would".
He said he had asked Lowe yesterday to have a call.
Responding to Lowe's demand that he exclude Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick from a future cabinet, he added: "I’m certainly not going to be ditching people who I view as allies and a great asset.”
Just moments after the press conference ended, Lowe took to X to accuse the Reform leader of "lying".
He wrote: “I do not want to make private conversations public, but Farage has just done so at a national press conference. He just stated he said to me yesterday ‘Shall we have a call?’.
“Sadly, that is just a lie. Yesterday at 10.30 Nigel messaged me, saying the following three words. ‘Will call later’. The evidence is below. I have received no call. Senior Reform figures then went public to rubbish my offer.”
I do not want to make private conversations public, but Farage has just done so at a national press conference.
— Rupert Lowe MP (@RupertLowe10) August 3, 2026
He just stated he said to me yesterday ‘Shall we have a call?’.
Sadly, that is just a lie.
Yesterday at 10.30 Nigel messaged me, saying the following three words.… pic.twitter.com/vuqLUIDIEK
A total of 162 people died in the English Channel between 2018 and 2025, according to the University of Oxford’s Migration Observatory.
The party proposes to set up a joint military command with units from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, RAF and British Army as well as a surveillance command to track incoming boats.
The armed forces would intercept any unauthorised boats and detain their occupants, giving them water and food and a medical assessment before returning them under escort on navy vessels.
They would pass emergency legislation “as necessary” to give the joint command any further required powers.
Last Wednesday marked the busiest day for small boat crossings across the English Channel so far this year, with 752 migrants arriving in the UK.
But the number of overall arrivals for 2026 so far has dropped since last year.
The provisional total for the year so far is 14,526, 43% lower than the number recorded by this time last year (25,436) and down 14% on the same period in 2024 (16,903).