British MP accuses French patrol boat of firing 'warning shots' in Channel
British opposition MP Chris Philp said a French warship fired warning shots near him in the Channel while he was giving an interview to the BBC. French authorities described the incident as a training exercise.
A British MP has accused a French patrol boat of firing warning shots near him in the English Channel on Tuesday. Chris Philp, an opposition Conservative MP, was aboard a fishing boat giving an interview to the BBC when he claimed a French warship approached close and fired 17 live rounds behind them, according to a post on X.
A video posted by the BBC shows Philp speaking on camera with the French vessel in the background, and several shots can be heard. A photographer from The Times captured an image of a uniformed sailor firing towards the sea. Philp described the incident as "warning shots or attempted intimidation".
In response, France's Maritime Prefecture for the Channel told AFP that sailors on the naval patrol vessel Flamant had been conducting a handgun firing exercise off Cap Gris-Nez (Pas-de-Calais). The agency said that individual combat training is part of normal vessel operations, that the required international signals were displayed, and the safety perimeter was respected. It added that the exercise was unrelated to the presence of a British vessel, which was outside the firing range. French authorities also confirmed that the Flamant was not monitoring migrant boats at the time.
Philp, who was at sea to observe migrant boats leaving the French coast, dismissed France's explanation as "not credible" on X, insisting there were no warnings about live firing exercises. The incident follows a recent Russian naval ship live-fire exercise in international waters off southern England, as well as a June incident where a Russian warship fired warning shots at a yacht in the Channel.
