French patrol boat fires 17 rounds near MP boat in Channel

A French patrol vessel fired approximately 17 live rounds into the English Channel on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, near a boat carrying a British Member of Parliament and a BBC journalist, an incident that has prompted accusations of intimidation and raised diplomatic questions.

The incident occurred at approximately 9:15 a.m. BST, roughly three miles off the French coast near Cap Gris-Nez. Conservative MP and Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp was being interviewed by BBC journalist Michael Keohan about migrant crossings when a French Flamant-class patrol boat approached. According to those on board, the French vessel came within about 300 meters and a crew member on its stern fired what sounded like 17 shots from a handgun into the sea behind their boat.

Philp and others present said no prior warning was issued over marine radio channels, and no notice of a live-fire training exercise had been given. Philp described the event as feeling like warning shots or an attempted intimidation to stop them from covering migrant crossings. He noted the firing coincided precisely with the closest point of the French vessel's approach and occurred during the televised interview.