'It's a big ask': Gosport MP questions Reform's Royal Navy migrant blockade policy as small boat spotted
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The emerging threat of Russia and duties in the Falklands are only some of the other duties with Royal Navy are tasked with
Doubts have been cast on the viability of the Royal Navy being used to stop migrant crossings to Portsmouth.
Dame Caroline Dinenage believes the force has other security duties to conduct across the world, and may not have the capacity to inhibit dinghies carrying illegal immigrants. This comes after a boat carrying migrants was seen heading towards the UK from Normandy today (September 22), after spending more than 24 hours at sea.
Reform UK’s spokesperson for home affairs Zia Yusuf previously said the First Sea Lord should be ordered to maintain a hard perimeter around the coast to make sure no migrant vessel reaches British shores, Dame Caroline, Conservative MP for Gosport, thinks the policy has too many holes in it.
Speaking to The News last Thursday (September 17), she said: “I’m not a military expert, but you can see from looking out of your window in the Gosport peninsula that we have a lot of Royal Navy ships not deployed.
“This suggests that we haven’t got the resources or the manpower to get them out there. My first question would be whether or not we’ve got the capacity to do it, but even before there is any conflict in the world, our Navy are out there around the world carrying out various responsibilities, whether it’s disaster relief or Falklands patrols, our Navy out there all the time.
“They have lots of responsibilities and duties. I think it’s a big ask for our Royal Navy personnel to get them to do work like this. I’m not sure whether they should have to do it.”
The migrant boat is being shadowed by a French coastguard vessel, thought to be Abeille Liberte, after leaving the coast on Monday morning (September 21). Around 120 migrants were brought to Eastney Point on September 6 by two RNLI boats, a move which sparked angry protests involving local residents and black-shirted men wearing balaclavas.
Around 500 people attempted to block routes out of Eastney. Hampshire Police Federation previously said seven officers were attacked during the protestors. Del Somerville, 42, of Walsingham Close in Paulsgrove, Justin Dixon, 50, of Cross Way in Havant, and Deano Ryan, 22, of All Saints Road in Buckland, have all pleaded guilty to violent disorder in relation to the demonstrations.
In the aftermath of the protest, Mr Yusuf said the community “had seen the state offer a police escort to men who are invading Britain, and I use my words advisedly there.” Former Royal Navy personnel who spoke to The News about Reform’s plans believe the country should have strong borders, but global duties also need to be considered.
Threats from Argentina’s populist government - headed up by Javier Milei - have been made against the Falkland Islands, but the main cause for concern comes from Russia. Former deputy foreign minister for Russia Andrei Fedorov previously intimated that several British sites used to aid Ukraine’s war effort could face attack from “unknown sources”.
First Sea Lord General Sir Gwyn Jenkins said Moscow’s naval threat is the greatest the UK faces, given its burgeoning force of submersibles in the North Atlantic. He added that the Royal Navy needs to be rebuilt to deal with challenges “not seen since the Cold War”.
According to the MoD Annual Report and Accounts 2025-26, Royal Navy vessels were activated 116 times to shadow 61 Russian warships and 28 Moscow merchant vessels in the within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) during that timeframe. This was organised under Operation Addison. Within the EEZ, there has been a 30 per cent increase in activity over the past two years.
Dame Caroline said the lack of funds being put towards the military is causing Royal Navy ships to run into more mechanical difficulties, and the Russian threat can’t be ignored. “Our Navy is in a parlous state at the moment,” she added. “We’re in desperate need of investment.
“There is an emerging threat from Russia. We know that it’s happening. We need to make sure our military across the board, and our Navy in particular, are fit to face the challenges of the modern world and what lies ahead.”