A row broke out on Tuesday over Rishi Sunak’s immigration plan as Nigel Farage laid out Reform UK’s hardline approach to tackling small boats crossing the Channel.
Mr Farage said the government’s proposals to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda “doesn’t work” and “until we leave the European Court of Human Rights we will never be able to solve” the issue of people crossing the Channel on small boats.
Asked how this would be enforced, Reform UK’s honorary president said: “Well, if the French won’t play ball, then the Royal Marines will have to take people back to France. It’s just as simple as that.”
Speaking at a campaign event in Dover on Tuesday morning, he defended his decision to use the word “invasion” when describing migration.
“Now, of course, for using that word, I was called all the names under the sun,” he said.
“But 3,800 boats later, 125,000 people later, you can use whatever word you want. I happen to think that invasion, frankly, was pretty appropriate.”
Mr Farage is campaigning for Reform but will not stand as a candidate on July 4, having stood in seven previous parliamentary elections and failed to win a seat.
He said he was “very disappointed” not to be standing in the election but he felt he could not fight a seat and campaign around the country in six weeks.
Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride told ITV that a vote for Reform is a “vote for Labour”.
He added: “On immigration and migration we have had considerable success in bringing the level of legal migration down...Labour’s policy, of course, is just basically open doors.”
