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The Navy could be called in to help reduce the number of illegal migrants crossing the Channel after 235 reached the UK in a new record for a single day.

Don’t they already do this? In fact, didn’t we build/buy some new ships so they could?

22 thoughts on “Umm?”

  1. Bloke in North Dorset

    “ Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, has ordered a review of the UK’s current sea capability in the Channel, which could see the Navy recalled to help tackle the situation for the first time since her predecessor, Sajid Javid, requested military aid last January.”

    Recalled? That implies they were doing the job and stood down. My guess is that they were stood down in winter and someone forgot to request them when the weather improved.

  2. Er, yeah. The armed forces are supposed to repel invaders. On days when you can catch the COGS out of his hairnet, anyway.

  3. Let’s not be under any illusion about this. The role the Navy will be performing will be to ensure the immigrants cross the Channel in safety.

  4. I would think that that is what a coast guard is for. Unless your navy is to be tasked also with running down smugglers in general it would seem to be a waste since the coast guard would already be out there doing safety inspections and patrols.

  5. We don’t actually have a coastguard.

    Well, sorta. There’s something called that but they’re blokes up on top of the cliffs with binoculars not versions of jolly jack tars.

  6. The role the Navy will be performing will be to ensure the immigrants cross the Channel in safety.

    Yes, that can easily be left to the private sector. If the RN is involved it should be to sink the French Navy escorting the invaders across.

  7. If they started sinking the boats or raiding the French coast to burn the boats and hang the people traffickers, as they did with the Barbary Corsairs, that’d be one thing; but let’s be honest, the Navy will just be providing a taxi service for them.

  8. Drones to spot the boats. Four blokes with a light machine gun to intercept the migrants and tow them back to France before machine-gunning their boat. Cruise missiles to hit the French warships attempting to intervene.

    It’s what I thought I was voting for.

  9. Normally it’s Border Force boats who provide illegal immigrant taxi services 🙁

    It will of course make no difference if the Navy turn up. We all know what will: telling people that they can only apply for asylum from outside the UK.

  10. Rupert,
    Asylum? They don’t even care for that. As long as they don’t commit any serious crimes, the chances of them being deported are slim-to-none.

  11. As long as they don’t commit any serious crimes, the chances of them being deported are slim-to-none.

    “Serious crime” being something above forming rape gangs and abusing the native children.

  12. Tim Worstall said:
    “We don’t actually have a coastguard. Well, sorta. There’s something called that but they’re blokes up on top of the cliffs with binoculars not versions of jolly jack tars.”

    Yes – they do maritime safety, not protecting the borders. Mostly volunteers (I’ve chatted to some of them when out walking on the cliffs – nice old farts who like to sit on top of a cliff with a mug of tea). They do some rescue, but only if they can walk there – they don’t have any boats, so if there’s anything out at sea they just ‘phone the RNLI.

    Of course as a government body there’s lots of paid office staff to manage the volunteers.

  13. Border Force are supposed to stop illegal immigration and smuggling. According to Wikipedia they’ve got:
    – 4 unarmed cutters that used to belong to HMRC;
    – 6 inflatables; and
    – one larger unarmed boat that we bought second-hand from Finland, which we used for “rescuing refugees” in the Med.

  14. Some sort of flamethrower mounted on a frigate might be in order. Assuming the tranzis lording it over us didn’t collapse into gusts of laughter at the idea of enforcing our border.

    Still, once here, they can apparently get more or less everyone to wear face nappies.

  15. the uk government is demanding france prrevent thede people leaving france. Just like East Germany. A place you need permission to leave is a prison. A place where you need permission to enter is somebody else`s home,and damned right you require permission. Entering without permissiom is called invasion.

  16. jgh

    “Just like East Germany. A place you need permission to leave is a prison.”

    In fairness to the French, they aren’t trying to stop them leave….

  17. Bloke in North Dorset

    “ We don’t actually have a coastguard.

    Well, sorta. There’s something called that but they’re blokes up on top of the cliffs with binoculars not versions of jolly jack tars.”

    Those are the NCI, as Richard says they’re volunteers who do a good job keeping an eye on marine traffic and they’d spot those immigrants if they got close enough.

    The there’s the Coastguard, they have responsibility for safety and other coastal issues. The run the safety channel (ch 16) and manage maydays, pan pans and sécurité incidents. They manage rescues and searches, tasking the RNLI and other rescue orgs and have their own helicopters.

    They also track marine traffic to ensue it complies with regulations in force, broadcast weather and other safety information and generally manage the seas around the country.

    Anyone who’s listened to Ch 16 in Lake Solent area would think they’re main role was answering radio check requests from leisure sailors.

  18. But no one, in this panoply of binoculars, mugs of tea, superannuated clippers and set-faced Ugandan Indians, much less the remnant of the entire half billion pound British state, is doing so much as a mosquito’s money shot to prevent further invasion by rapey pillagers.

  19. RN will be compelled to collect them too, thus another taxi service and illegal immigrants crossings increase. Priti Useless, Order Border Farce, RNLI etc to refuse to go to sea to collect them

    Record number of illegal immigrants cross Channel in single day

    Voters can clearly tell the difference between migration rhetoric and reality

    Admiral Alan West: We are not doing enough to protect our borders
    The people are not victims. They are willing accomplices, they pay heavily to come and milk benefits and they will be unemployable during years to come due to lack of skills, lack of language, etc
    Police just arrested “Active Patriot” for filming the illegals being loaded onto coaches which will ferry them to a 4* Hotel

    Richard Tice: Illegal Immigrants choose the UK because it’s seen as “a soft touch”

    Boris and his government are a shambles with no vision or backbone to stick to their electoral promises. If this lot were in power in 1982 the Argentines would have taken the Falklands and fancied their chances of invading England. This is how low this once proud nation has sunk

    @PJF
    Spot on, repel invaders using any means

    Any that get through – bivvy bag and big field surrounded by land-shark dogs

  20. @Mr Lud
    Sunday Telegraph front page lead article

    UK to give France £30 million to allow RN to repel invaders

    Blackmail by France again and Boris surrenders

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