A Reform UK MP declared “bring it on” to a trade war with France unless they do more to stop small boats. Sarah Pochin insisted Britain needs to “get tough” on France as the Channel crisis escalates and suggested withholding fishing rights.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP told GB News: “France has agreed now that it will actually go 300 metres away from their beaches and go and get these people and turn them round. Well, I’d like to see that. Well at least I won’t believe that until I see it. It’s just not going to happen unless we get tough on the French, unless we do something dramatic like take away their fishing rights or something that they really care about.
“Let’s take away their fishing rights and make them do something about this problem, because until we get serious with them, they’re just going to carry on waving this lot over.
“And it’s not small boats. That boat I’m looking at has probably got, 50 on it, at least. These aren’t small boats. These are large boats. This is organised crime, and we need to crack down on it.
“We have got one of the smallest borders and one of the narrowest waterways, and we cannot control our borders. But we could, we know we could, if the government had the will to control the borders.
“We have Border Force. We could take them all off of our beaches and deport them to a centre and process from there. The government and the Tory government before chose not to.”
When asked if her suggestions could lead to a trade war with France, Ms Pochin said:“Well, bring it on because at the moment, we’re paying the French millions to control these people, these illegal immigrants, leaving French shores. And they’re just pocketing our millions, our taxpayers’ money, hard earned in our cases, and I’m sure everyone else’s cases, and doing nothing with it.
“They’re still waving these people through. Now come on, this is not difficult to do. You’ve just got to have the will to do it. The Conservative government hasn’t had the will to do it for 14 years, and this Labour government, 40,000 have come in this way, illegally on big boats since the Labour government got in power last July.
“And look at this heat wave. I’ve actually come back to Runcorn today. But golly, I am boiling. These big boats, packed, are going to keep coming across and across and across for the next few days.”
It comes as 2025 is on course to be a record year for Channel crossings.
There has been fury recently over pictures of French police standing by as migrants board small boats.