The deputy leader of Reform UK has revealed how his party would deal with France if they ever implemented its plan to tackle the rise in small boats arriving in Britain.
Richard Tice told Sky News’ Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips that the UK could have a “friendly confrontation” with the French, but was quick to remove “war” from the equation.
Speaking to Trevor Phillips yesterday about what he described as the Labor government’s failure to “crush the gangs”, Mr Tice said: “It’s very simple. The government’s policy of crushing gangs is clearly not working and Unfortunately, people are literally dying… The only way to stop the boats is a variant of what Australia did.
‘We’ve talked about it before. I will say it again: it must be picked up safely and brought back to France, something we are legally entitled to do under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
‘And, by the way, France has a legal obligation to do the same, something it fails to comply with. So we have the legal right to do so.
“If the French coast guard says ‘you will not enter’, they are violating international law.”
Richard Tice said on Sky News’ Sunday Morning program with Trevor Phillips that the UK could have a “friendly showdown” with the French.
Border Force officers escort migrants to Dover docks in Kent, UK, on October 25, 2024.
When Mr. Tice was asked how he would deal with the possibility of France refusing to accept return migrants, he said: “Well, then we have a stalemate… I’m not saying we’re going to war, but we can have a standoff.” friendly with friends.
‘It’s the only way to stop the deaths. Ours is a kind and compassionate policy.”
The Reform UK deputy leader’s comments come as it was revealed that Labor could open more asylum hotels amid fresh fears they will soon run out of spaces.
Demand for families has skyrocketed, as nearly 150,000 immigrants have crossed the country in the last six years.
In June, almost 30,000 migrants were placed in more than 250, costing the taxpayer £4.2 million a day.
While no figures have been confirmed on the new number of asylum hotels, a Home Office source told the Times, more will arrive in the “days and weeks”.
However, the source claimed the figure was lower than that described by the Conservatives before Labour’s landslide victory in the 2024 general election.
A group of people believed to be migrants are taken to Dover, Kent, from a Border Force vessel following an incident with a small boat in the English Channel on October 15, 2024.
Border Force officers escort migrants to Dover docks in Kent, UK, on October 25, 2024.
“When we came into government and even before, during accession talks, we were told that the previous government had been drawing up plans to open dozens of new asylum hotels,” the source told the Times.
“This was because the number of migrants crossing the English Channel increased by 18 percent in the first half of the year and no new applications had been processed.”
Ministers are developing contingency plans to avoid a repeat of autumn 2022, when the Manston asylum center in Kent became dangerously overcrowded, leading to illness and violence due to insufficient “pre-accommodation” for immigrants after processing.
Yvette Cooper is optimistic that the Home Office will process the 87,217 claims pending initial decisions within a year to a year and a half by improving the rate of decision-making.
There are currently 137,525 more people waiting to hear back on their appeals or people waiting to be removed from the UK.
A total of 28,645 people are believed to have crossed the English Channel this year alone as of Friday, almost eight per cent more than at the same point last year.
A large group of migrants attempting to cross the English Channel is seen yesterday in a small boat.
At least 55 people have died crossing in what has been described as the deadliest year to cross so far.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “This Government inherited an asylum system under unprecedented pressure, with thousands of people stuck in a backlog without their claims being processed.”
‘We have taken immediate steps to restart asylum processing, which will save approximately £7 billion for the taxpayer over the next ten years, and we are achieving a significant increase in returns to remove people without the right to be in the UK .
‘In the long term, this will reduce our dependence on hotels and accommodation costs.
“We remain absolutely committed to ending the use of hotels for asylum seekers and continue to identify a range of accommodation options to minimize their use.”
Nearly 300 migrants crossed the English Channel on the same day three people tragically died and dozens were rescued while making the risky journey last week.