So the orange wonder says use the armed forces? To do what exactly? This is not the USA and a land border with Mexico. The border in the Channel is approximately mid way between the land of each country. So any incursion by the Royal Navy into French waters would be against international law. So the Navy could wait for the boats to cross into UK waters – and then what? The knuckle draggers and flag shaggers would suggest just sinking and drowning them! Return to France could only happen with French co-operation. Or they could be put on planes to random countries that we think they come from (usually they have no papers or passports). Some would be executed or at least arrested on arrival. This would be against our responsibilities under International Law (which right wing wankers make a great display of saying they would withdraw from – without realising the diplomatic knock on impacts.
Basically we need to set up fast track processing in countries across Europe and beyond to verify the claims for asylum before they get near the Channel. I suspect that many are economic migrants – the UK needs a firm policy on what we want. However this situation would not satisfy the Mail and Express and Telegraph who are loving the present situation as it sells papers and hits on web sites. Without the small boats they would have to be more overtly racist, create more tension and hatred – the same goes for Reform and its putrid followers.