French Warship Fires Shots Near a Tory MP in the Channel
A Conservative frontbencher, Chris Philp, accused the French navy of firing shots close to him as he filmed a report about small-boat crossings in the Channel on Tuesday. The BBC reported that a French warship had carried out a “shooting drill” during the interview, with some seventeen rounds fired; Mr Philp said “live rounds” had been discharged nearby. The British government said it was asking the French for an explanation.
The extraordinary episode, off the English coast, immediately became entangled in the politics of migration, with Mr Philp, the shadow home secretary, using it to highlight what he cast as French passivity over Channel crossings. There was no immediate statement from the French navy, and it was unclear whether the drill and the filming had simply coincided. Small-boat arrivals remain among the most charged issues in British politics, and the incident risks inflaming relations already strained over how to police the world’s busiest shipping lane. Watch for the French account and any diplomatic fallout.