Chorley MP Lindsay Hoyle wants troops to be based in all of the country's major ports.

He thinks the force should be modelled on the army units which patrolled Hong Kong's border with China when it was a British colony.
Under his proposals, soldiers would carry out checks on foreign lorries alongside police officers.

He also believes the government should negotiate an agreement with France to allow the soldiers to work on the other side the Channel Tunnel.

Mr Hoyle has presented his blueprint to Gordon Brown's parliamentary private secretary and urged him to recommend it to the Prime Minister.
The MP told the LEP that constituents are desperate for the government to take tough action against illegal immigration.

And he believes his solution would also help to protect the country against the smuggling of weapons and drugs, as well as terrorism.
He said: "Clearly illegal immigration is bothering people. What we have got to do is put security forces in.
"If we could do it in Hong Kong with a huge border, why aren't we looking along the same lines - dedicated policing stationed and supported with an army battalion?
"They are trained to do this kind of work. It could have an immediate affect.
"It could help stop terrorism, stop weapons, stop drugs - a way of providing genuine security around the borders."

The UK's new border agency (UKBA) was officially launched in April with officers drawn from the Border and Immigration Agency, HM Revenue and Customs and UK visas - but ministers say further legislation is needed in the autumn before it is fully operational.

Initially, about 1,000 frontline staff in England and Wales will be conferred with both immigration and customs powers, enabling them to work more closely with the police by detaining suspects.

The government has promised legislation in the autumn for a full merger of customs and immigration officials' work, paving the way for 9,000 warranted officers operating in local communities, at the UK's borders and in 135 countries.

But the Tories and Lib Dems have dismissed the change as a re-branding exercise.