FARAGE UNVEILS ROYAL NAVY PLAN FOR SMALL BOAT RETURNS

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, announced a plan to deploy ten Royal Navy vessels to intercept small boats crossing the English Channel and return those aboard to France and Belgium. The proposal, titled Operation Fortress, was unveiled at a Westminster press conference on Monday. Farage insisted the measure would comply with international law. The announcement came after Prime Minister Andy Burnham visited Dover at the weekend to discuss plans for tackling small boat crossings.

France's interior ministry rejected the plan, stating it would constitute "a violation of French sovereignty as well as a violation of maritime law and international law." Downing Street dismissed the 25-page proposal, noting that a similar measure introduced under the previous government had not reduced the number of crossings. Charities warned the plan would "inevitably" lead to more deaths on the Channel. Reform claimed it anticipated French authorities would support agreed returns of migrants, contradicting the French government's response.

At the same press conference, Farage confirmed he had held secret talks about returning as party leader months before the 2024 general election. He stated these discussions occurred after he accepted a £5 million gift from Thailand-based cryptocurrency entrepreneur Christopher Harborne, which had not been declared and was under investigation by Parliament's standards commissioner. Farage triggered a by-election in Clacton, Essex, where he now faces parody candidate Count Binface after other major parties declined to participate in the contest.