Tory politician accuses French warship of firing shots near him in English Channel

Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA French warship has been accused of "attempted intimidation" after allegedly firing 17 warning shots within 300 metres of shadow home secretary Chris Philp in the English Channel. The incident occurred while Mr Philp, a Conservative MP, was on a fishing boat filming a video about small boat crossings, with a French Navy officer reportedly firing a handgun away from the vessel. Both Mr Philp and the fishing boat's captain, Matt Coker, interpreted the firing as an attempt to intimidate them and deter coverage of migrant crossings, noting the shots were fired at the closest point to their boat during a TV interview. Prime minister Andy Burnham stated that the government's plans to tackle small boat crossings are "working", despite admitting there is "more to do" and nearly 900 migrants having crossed since he took office. Recent Home Office figures indicate 13,007 migrant arrivals this year, a 45 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year and an 18 per cent decrease from 2024. In fullFrench warship accused of firing shots as Tory frontbencher films in ChannelMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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