Nigel Farage moved to distance Reform UK from remarks by one of his MPs on Sunday, saying comments suggesting lethal force could be used against people crossing the Channel had been "misconstrued".
Robert Jenrick, who has defected from the Conservative Party to Reform, told TalkTV that Royal Marines should be permitted to fire at people on small boats and that Reform would deploy marines to take vessels back to France. His remarks prompted immediate attention given the sensitive and often politically charged debate over migrant crossings in the Channel.
Farage told reporters and party supporters that Reform did not advocate authorising troops to shoot migrants at sea and that Jenrick's comments did not reflect the party's formal policy. He said the remarks had been misunderstood and sought to draw a distinction between using armed forces to interdict boats and endorsing lethal force against people attempting to cross.
Jenrick's move from the Conservatives to Reform has placed him in a more prominent position within the party's ranks; his comments have therefore prompted questions about how Reform would operationalise its proposals on immigration and maritime enforcement. The party has previously emphasised stricter border controls and measures to deter small-boat crossings, but Farage's response underlined a desire to avoid being associated with explicit calls for deadly force.
The exchange comes amid an ongoing national discussion in the UK about how best to manage irregular migration across the Channel, where political leaders have sparred over approaches ranging from increased naval patrols to changes in legal and asylum procedures. Reform's position on the precise role of the armed forces in such operations remains a point of interest as the party seeks to set out clearer policy proposals.