Nigel Farage has called for military action in the English Channel, arguing that the government “should declare a national security emergency” to tackle the migrant crisis.
The comments come after the Prime Minister admitted at the G7 summit in Canada that the Channel situation is “deteriorating”, as new figures revealed more than 40,000 migrants have crossed since Labour took office in July.
A Downing Street readout from his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed both leaders agreed the situation was deteriorating and that “migration should be a key focus”.
Speaking on GB News, Nigel Farage said: “He doesn’t know what he’s doing on this. Does he? He’s completely lost on this. This has got to get a grip, and this is really going to get a grip. It’s not just the situation deteriorating his performance on this is deteriorating.”
Farage later said: “You have got Darren Jones, you’ve got Starmer they don’t know what they’re doing. They’re in big trouble on this. They’re in very, very big trouble on this. Much bigger trouble, I think, than perhaps even they understand themselves.”
He added: “My last two parliamentary questions at Prime Minister’s Questions I’ve asked the same question, and I’ll do it again.
“Is it not time to declare a national security emergency in the Channel? Because if you do that, you could exempt yourself from those treaties and difficulties.”
Glasman said: “I think it’s been an emergency for quite a while. That’s true. I’ve been on here before with you calling for the Royal Navy.
“Also, I was mentioning to you in the break there’s drones now that can intercept the boats. This can be done only if it’s understood as a military, national security emergency.
“Now, this is the strange thing the Prime Minister said this is a national security issue. He said that several times. But where’s the logic? We’ve got to push it.
“So what I say to you is this: vilified on the grooming gangs, vindicated on the grooming gangs, vilified on the boats will be vindicated on the boats.
“Because it is a national security [issue], and the people of this country are not going to take it anymore. The genie is out of the bottle. They’ve had enough.”
Nigel Farage said: “Now, I agree with you. I agree with military. I mean, it sounds odd, but, you know, if the French can’t control their border, we have to do it.”
“Home Office figures show 39,787 migrants have crossed the Channel since July, with at least 300 more arriving on Tuesday alone.”
The Labour peer said that something needs to be done
GB NEWS
The total for 2025 has already exceeded 17,000, marking a 47 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
Starmer revealed plans for a “transactional” approach to migration, threatening to cut visas for countries that refuse to sign returns agreements for illegal migrants.
“We are looking at issues like a smarter use of our visas, looking at whether we should tie our visas to the work that the countries we are dealing with are doing on preventative measures and on return agreements,” the Prime Minister told reporters at the G7.
When asked if this meant fewer visas for non-compliant countries, he confirmed: “Yes, it would be much more sort of transactional, if you like.”
