The French Navy says a patrol boat fired live handgun rounds during a BBC interview with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp in the English Channel. BBC journalist Michael Keohan reported 17 shots from about 300 metres away and said there were no warnings. French officials called the incident a training exercise and said the vessel, PSP Flamant, was out of range and not monitoring migrant boats; the Home Office is seeking further clarification.
French Patrol Boat Fires Live Rounds During BBC Interview With UK MP in the English Channel
Chris Philp MP, the Shadow Home Secretary, said it felt like an intimidation tactic or warning shots [BBC/Jack Valpy]
A French Navy patrol boat fired live handgun rounds while a BBC interview with Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was underway in the English Channel, witnesses and British broadcasters say.
The interview, conducted by BBC journalist Michael Keohan aboard a fishing vessel, was interrupted at about 09:15 BST (10:15 CET) when a French patrol vessel passed nearby roughly three miles off the French coast. Keohan said the shots appeared to come from a patrol craft about 300 metres away and that he counted 17 individual rounds.
Witnesses reported there was no prior warning or signals to the fishing boat hosting the interview. A patrol officer on the French vessel was filmed pointing a pistol toward the sea; those on the fishing boat believe the shots originated from that part of the ship.
'There was no warning for our boat, no signs given that this was the French's intention,' Michael Keohan said. 'Even now it's still not clear what the patrol boat was aiming at.'
The captain of the fishing boat, Matt Coker, said he had 'never seen anything like it before'. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp described the firing as an attempted intimidation, suggesting it was intended to deter coverage of migrant crossings in the Channel.
The MP was being interviewed by the BBC at the time of the incident [Chris Philp MP]
'It felt to me like an attempted intimidation to stop us covering migrant crossings,' Philp said. 'It is extraordinary that the French Navy will fire live rounds to defend their waters against a visiting British politician but cannot bear to do anything about stopping illegal Channel crossings.'
French authorities said the discharge formed part of a training exercise and was not related to the presence of the British vessel. They identified the patrol boat as PSP Flamant and said it was not engaged in migrant monitoring and was 'out of range' to engage the BBC's boat.
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are in contact with the French authorities to understand the full context of this incident.' Philp said he intended to raise the matter with the French ambassador.
As background context, the report noted that earlier in the month a Russian warship, shadowed by a Royal Navy vessel, carried out a live-fire artillery exercise about 46 miles (74 km) south of Plymouth.
What Happened Next
Authorities on both sides are in contact to clarify the circumstances. No injuries have been reported and officials say the patrol boat was not on a migrant-interdiction operation at the time.
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