Shadow home secretary Chris Philp has accused a French warship of firing what he described as “warning shots” near his boat in the English Channel, branding the incident a deliberate act of intimidation. The Conservative frontbencher was monitoring small boat crossings on Tuesday when he said a French naval vessel approached and discharged 17 live rounds behind him without any prior warning or announcement of a training exercise.
Philp, who was being interviewed by the BBC at the time, posted a video on social media in which the shots can be heard. «On the channel today monitoring illegal migrant crossings … as I was being interviewed by the BBC just now a French warship approached close and fired 17 live rounds behind us. There was no notice or training exercise in place. Felt like warning shots or attempted intimidation,» he wrote. The shadow home secretary later told broadcasters that the incident looked and sounded like “deliberate intimidation” and that he had received no communication from the French side before or after the shooting.
French authorities have rejected Philp’s account, insisting that the shots were part of a routine naval training exercise and that there was no intention to target the British politician or his crew. A French defence source said that the vessel was conducting standard gunnery drills in a designated area and that all safety protocols were followed. However, Philp dismissed this explanation, noting that the warship changed course to approach his boat and that the firing occurred directly behind him while he was filming an interview about illegal migration.
The incident has heightened tensions between London and Paris over the management of Channel crossings, which remain a persistent source of friction despite a 45% drop in small boat arrivals compared to the same period last year. Philp, who has been a vocal critic of the government’s approach to border security, used the moment to argue that the French response to the migration crisis is insufficient and that such behaviour undermines efforts to deter crossings. «It is not just the Russians firing on Brits in the English Channel,» he said, drawing a contrast with other maritime security incidents.
Conservative colleagues rallied behind Philp, with several MPs calling for an official protest to the French embassy. The shadow home secretary said he would raise the matter with the Foreign Office and seek a full explanation from Paris. Downing Street declined to comment on the specifics but said that the government takes any incident involving British officials seriously and would review the details.
The episode also comes amid broader debates about the UK’s prison capacity and immigration enforcement. During the same day’s news cycle, Philp addressed the crisis in prison places, acknowledging that while the previous Conservative government had taken some steps, it “wasn’t enough”. He apologised for past failures but insisted that the current administration must now find solutions, including renting prison places abroad, as Sweden has done with Estonia, to avoid releasing violent offenders early. He also appealed to the public to support new prison construction, saying that a “not in my backyard” attitude makes it impossible to expand capacity.
Although the prison remarks added to Philp’s political profile on Tuesday, the Channel incident dominated the headlines. Labour MPs accused Philp of “grandstanding” on an issue that risks inflaming relations with a key neighbour, while some French commentators suggested the shadow minister had exaggerated the danger for political gain. Nonetheless, the shadow home secretary stood by his account, insisting that the firing was unnecessary and unexplained.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency confirmed that it was aware of the incident and is liaising with the relevant authorities. No injuries were reported, and Philp’s vessel continued its patrol after the shots were fired. The full circumstances remain under informal discussion between British and French officials, but the affair has already become a flashpoint in the fraught cross-Channel relationship.
