Use the military to stop the Channel crossings, Trump tells Starmer

Trump ended the state visit with a warning that illegal immigration could destroy Britain, telling Starmer that he should follow the US in taking tough action to stop migrants unlawfully crossing its borders.

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"I think your situation is very similar. 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. "It destroys countries from within and we're actually now removing a lot of the people that came into our country."

The first Channel migrant was deported to France yesterday under Starmer's "one in, one out" deal, with further flights due in coming days.

With public concern rising over the UK's borders and Nigel Farage's Reform exploiting tensions over the issue, Downing Street believes it has to stop the highly visible crossings by sending some back to France. Britain will accept an equal number from France through a newly established safe and legal route.

Some Labour MPs have already suggested the government should send the Royal Navy into the Channel to prevent small boat crossings, an approach tried and failed under Boris Johnson in 2022 and 2023.