Former UK MP Supports Call for Royal Navy Aid in Channel Migrant Crossings

A former Conservative MP, Mark Field, has supported Reform UK leader Nigel Farage's call for the Royal Navy to assist in managing migrant crossings in the English Channel. GB News reported that almost 900 migrants have crossed since Friday, with Border Force vessels responding to additional small boat sightings this morning.

Two boats reached UK waters, taking advantage of a brief weather window. m. on bank holiday Monday. Field stated to GB News that the migrant situation is a national security issue and called for Royal Navy involvement in some form. He noted that Border Force is incapable of solving the issue alone and mentioned challenges in guarding the French shoreline despite payments to France.

News host Christopher Hope questioned Field, suggesting that Navy involvement could place it in a difficult situation, such as towing migrants back to France or leaving them at risk. Field disagreed with being compared to a Reform UK leader but maintained his position.

Political commentator Matthew Torbitt argued that the government should examine the 1951 Convention on Human Rights, signed with the UN, rather than focusing solely on leaving the ECHR. He stated that the ECHR has overturned 13 asylum cases since 1980 and is not the primary issue.

Torbitt explained that the 1951 convention was intended for a different era, such as Jews fleeing persecution in Germany. He suggested that leaving it would make the UK an international pariah but recommended establishing pinch points across Europe and in origin countries like Syria or Afghanistan to address migrants discarding passports.

“You have to look at the 1951 Convention on Human Rights that we signed up to with the UN. That was for a different time, that was for Jews fleeing Germany for good reason, fleeing their own persecution.”