Conservative MP and shadow home secretary Chris Philp says he witnessed a French navy officer fire warning shots from a patrol vessel while he was in the English Channel during an interview. Philp says several loud bangs were heard as the French warship Flamant passed near him, and he later described the incident as “warning shots” or an attempt at “intimidation.” According to multiple reports, Philp claimed that the officer fired what he described as 17 live rounds from a handgun, with the shots directed away from him. The Independent and Evening Standard report that Philp accused the French of attempted intimidation, while the Guardian similarly frames the event as an allegation that the vessel aimed to stop him, linked to his discussion of small-boat crossings. The reports describe Philp filming or recording on the water as he highlighted the wider issue of irregular crossings in the Channel. The accounts attribute the claims to Philp; they do not provide an official response from French authorities or independent confirmation of the weapon or intent.