A French patrol boat called PSP Flamant unexpectedly fired 17 shots during a BBC interview with UK Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp in the English Channel.
Philp, speaking on the topic of small‑boat crossings, was taken aback when the shots rang out from a vessel 300 metres off the French coast. The lack of any warning led him to claim the shots were intended to intimidate reporters covering migrant movements.
French officials deny the incident had any political motive, describing it as a routine training exercise unrelated to the presence of the British interview panel. They also state the vessel was out of the range of fire at the time.
Philp has called on the French ambassador to address the incident and warned that France’s apparent leniency towards people‑smugglers could erode the UK’s security and responsibility for migrant crossings.
The UK Home Office has confirmed it is in touch with French authorities to obtain a fuller understanding of the event. The episode follows a Russian warship’s live‑fire exercise off Plymouth the week before, indicating heightened naval tensions in the Channel.
