Overview
- Chris Philp, the Conservative shadow home secretary, said a French patrol vessel fired 17 live rounds close to the fishing boat he was on during a BBC interview, an episode recorded on video and reported by multiple outlets.
- Those aboard Philp’s boat, including Times and BBC journalists, reported hearing the gunfire and described seeing a French officer fire a handgun into the water as the Flamant passed about 300 metres away.
- French officials and the maritime prefecture responded that the PSP Flamant was conducting a lawful small‑arms training exercise off Cap Gris‑Nez on Tuesday and that the required safety signals and a safety area were displayed.
- The UK Home Office has contacted French authorities for clarification and Philp has said he will lodge a diplomatic complaint, but no independent joint investigation or public finding has been reported yet.
- The incident compounds existing UK–France tensions over Channel migration by raising fresh concerns about live‑fire practices, VHF/notices to mariners in busy waters, and how the two countries coordinate patrols and evidence of operations.