Farage denies Reform government would authorise lethal force against migrant boats

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has denied that his party would authorise lethal force against migrant crossings in the English Channel if elected to government. According to the Guardian and the Independent, Farage said comments made by party MP Robert Jenrick had been misconstrued. Jenrick had suggested earlier that forces deployed to take boats back to France should be permitted to fire on them. [1][4][5]

The controversy followed remarks by Jenrick on TalkTV, where the Guardian reported he advocated using the Royal Marines to turn back Channel crossings. The Daily Mirror noted that Jenrick raised the possibility of using lethal force against migrants, drawing criticism from political opponents. [1][4]

The dispute occurred alongside a wider policy announcement by Reform UK regarding immigration. The Daily Mail reported that Farage unveiled a proposal to suspend the United Kingdom asylum system for five years if he becomes prime minister. According to the Daily Mail, the plan includes declaring in-progress applications void, scrapping legal refugee routes, and ending resettlement schemes. [2][3]

Farage is a British politician who became the Member of Parliament for Clacton and leader of Reform UK in 2024. As FTMQ News reported earlier, Farage has previously proposed measures to control migration, including suspending the asylum system and imposing trade tariffs on countries that refuse to accept deported migrants. [6][10][11]