A French Navy patrol boat has fired 17 shots in the English Channel as the shadow home secretary, Chris Philp, was being interviewed by the BBC about small boat crossings – an incident he described as “attempted intimidation”.
The shots rang out at 09:15 BST on Tuesday as Philp spoke to BBC journalist Michael Keohan on a boat about three miles from the French coast. The French vessel, PSP Flamant, passed about 300 metres away, and an officer at the stern was seen pointing a pistol towards the sea. Keohan said there was no warning. “Even now it’s still not clear what the patrol boat was aiming at,” he added.
“Chris Philp says French patrol boat fired 17 shots near him in Channel; French say training exercise.”
Philp said the firing “felt like an intimidation tactic or warning shots” to stop coverage of migrant crossings. “It is extraordinary that the French navy will fire live rounds to defend their waters against a visiting British politician but cannot bear to do anything about stopping illegal Channel crossings,” he said. The fishing boat captain, Matt Coker, said he had “never seen anything like it before” and believed it was an effort to intimidate them.
French authorities disputed that interpretation. The French coastguard said Flamant was taking part in a training exercise – a handgun firing drill off Cape Gris-Nez – and that it was unrelated to the presence of the British vessel, which was out of range. “The regulatory signals required under international standards for this firing exercise were displayed, and the safety area was respected,” a statement said. The ship was not involved in migrant boat surveillance.
Philp is the Conservative party’s home affairs spokesperson. His interview came as the government, led by new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, reported a 45% drop in small boat arrivals compared with the same period last year – 13,350 so far in 2026, down from 24,081. Yet nearly 900 migrants have crossed since Burnham took office last Monday, including a dinghy carrying 165 people.
The Home Office said it was in contact with French authorities “to understand the full context”. Philp said he would raise the issue with the French ambassador.