Chris Philp faces 'warning shots' from French warship on Channel in 'effort to intimidate' him during small boats observation trip

By DAVID BARRETT, HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 11:54, 28 July 2026 | Updated: 11:56, 28 July 2026 A French warship appeared to fire live shots close to Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp while he monitored small boat activity in the Channel. Mr Philp said the incident appeared to have been an attempt by the French Navy to ‘intimidate’ him during a fact-finding mission. A video posted on social media by Mr Philp featured a number of loud noises which Mr Philp and other observers believed to be live ammunition rounds. The French vessel was approximately 300 yards away from the British trawler. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Philp said: ‘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. Your browser does not support iframes. ‘Felt like warning shots or attempted intimidation.’ In a video clip Mr Philp is being interviewed by a BBC journalist when a series of live rounds are heard being fired. In the footage the MP says: ‘Is that a warning shot towards us?’ Mr Philp then speaks to fisherman Matt Coker who says: ‘As far as I know if you’re having a live firing exercise that is always announced on the VHF to all the vessels in the vicinity, and they will give the position of where that’s going to take place. ‘There’s been nothing announced on the VHF from what we’ve heard and we’ve been out since six o’clock.’ Mr Philp then says: ‘So it sounds like it might’ve been an effort to intimidate us.’ Mr Coker says: ‘It could well have been, it might have been a little bit of a warning shot and a show of force.’ Mr Coker’s vessel was a couple of miles off Boulogne when the incident took place. Photographs captured by the Times, which was accompanying Mr Philp on the trip, showed a French navy officer holding a handgun on the deck of the warship. He fired the weapon away from the British trawler.