When Donald Trump says “send in the military,” he usually means it. But this time, the UK has firmly said no thanks.
During his state visit this week, the US president suggested Britain should use its armed forces to stop illegal migration across the Channel. Standing alongside Sir Keir Starmer at Chequers, Trump declared illegal migration “destroys countries from within” and insisted military intervention would be the ultimate deterrent.
“You have people coming in and I told the prime minister I would stop it, and it doesn’t matter if you call out the military, it doesn’t matter what means you use,” Trump said.
But Trade Secretary Peter Kyle has rejected that idea, making it clear that the UK’s armed forces are focused on defending the nation, not policing small boats. Speaking to BBC Breakfast, he stressed that the Border Force is the frontline agency responsible for securing Britain’s borders.
“The military are not border guards”
Kyle explained that while the Navy does maintain a working relationship with Border Force, and can provide support if needed, the armed forces must remain focused on “key issues around the world, directly relating to our national defence.”
Instead, the government is doubling down on its own approach: a mix of diplomatic agreements with France, tougher court guidance on late legal challenges, and the new “one-in-one-out” pilot scheme for migrant returns.
Courts getting tougher
Evidence of that shift came this week when a second migrant was returned to France after losing an eleventh-hour legal bid to stay. Ministers say it’s a sign courts are taking a firmer line under new guidance.
New Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed to crack down on what she calls “vexatious, last-minute claims,” while Kyle described her as “straining at the bit” to make the returns scheme a success.
Removal flights ramping up
w in immigration removal centres near Heathrow, awaiting deportation to France. The Home Office has confirmed more removal flights are planned in the coming days, as part of a strategy designed to deter others from making the dangerous journey.
Since the start of August, more than 5,500 migrants have reached the UK, but ministers insist swift returns will eventually reduce the flow.
Kyle summed it up bluntly:
“Our target is to make sure that everybody who comes to our shore and doesn’t have the right to stay is removed from the country. That’s our target. We want a system that’s so rapid, efficient and functioning that people don’t come here in the first place.”
Trump may believe in tanks and troops, but Britain is betting on treaties, tougher courts, and removal flights to tackle the Channel crossings.
