On the ground in the English seaside town rightwing influencers say is being ‘invaded’

Tom Armstrong, who lives in the area, said it was good that rightwing politicians were drawing attention to small boat crossings. Photograph: Andrew Aitchison/The Guardian

If you believe rightwing influencers and politicians, Dover and the wider Kent coast has been the site of an “invasion” for years now. And, for an online audience of millions, they and their camera crews have been the vanguard in the nation’s defence.

Indeed, if you believe all you see on the algorithms of amateur Channel watchers, the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, braved a hail of French gunfire as he took to the water in a fishing boat this week; an attempt by the French authorities, he suggested, to deter him in his mission of highlighting the small boats crisis.