A French Navy patrol boat carried out a live handgun firing exercise in the English Channel without warning while a BBC journalist was interviewing Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp MP about small boat crossings. Philp said the gunfire, which came from a vessel around 300m away, felt like an attempt to intimidate the crew and stop them covering migrant crossings, though French authorities insisted the drill was a routine training exercise unconnected to the British boat's presence, which they said was out of range of fire.

The incident happened at 09:15 BST as the French patrol vessel PSP Flamant passed roughly three miles off the French coast; BBC journalist Michael Keohan counted 17 shots and said no warning was given beforehand. The fishing boat's captain, Matt Coker, said he had never witnessed anything like it, while Philp criticised France for what he called inconsistency in tackling people smuggling, saying he would raise the matter with the French ambassador. The Home Office said it was seeking further details from French authorities, and the episode follows a recent live-fire exercise by a Russian warship near Plymouth that was shadowed by the Royal Navy.