British Conservative MP Chris Philp has accused the French navy of firing warning shots near him in the English Channel. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing The Guardian.

Philp was being interviewed by the BBC on a fishing vessel a couple of miles off Boulogne when the French boat Flamant passed by at a distance of about 300 metres. As it did so, a French navy officer standing at the stern fired 17 shots from a handgun, aiming away from Philp.

Philp uploaded a video of the incident to X and claimed it could have been an attempt to censor debate about asylum seekers travelling to the UK in dinghies: "There was no notice or training exercise in place. Felt like warning shots or attempted intimidation."

However, French authorities said the gunfire had nothing to do with Philp or the BBC but was conducted to ensure "operation readiness" amid international tensions. A statement from French defence staff said: "French navy units train regularly. Individual combatant training is a normal activity for a vessel on operations. The statutory signals required by international standards for this type of firing exercise were displayed, and all safety protocols were followed. This exercise is unrelated to the presence of a British ship in the area, which was outside the range of the firing. The Flamant was not engaged in an operation to monitor migrant vessels."

Earlier this month, a Russian warship, shadowed by a Royal Navy vessel, carried out a live-fire artillery exercise 46 miles south of Plymouth.

Some experts were sceptical that the French acted deliberately. Kevin Rowlands, a retired Royal Navy captain, said: "Naval vessels train pretty regularly with small arms and the handgun appeared to be aimed in a safe direction. I don't think this appears to be an incident where the French are actively trying to intimidate a British politician or the BBC."

A former senior Border Force officer said: "There are often exercises at sea involving the Royal or the French navy, and shots are occasionally fired, usually using blanks. This may be nothing at all."

Those on the boat with Philp described the incident as unsettling. BBC journalist Michael Keohan said: "It was the most unusual moment in the quiet of the Channel. There was no warning for our boat, no signs given that this was the French intention." The captain of the fishing boat, Matt Coker, said: "It's a bit strange that as they approached us there wasn't fire or anything and then as they went past, afterwards there wasn't fire or anything. They only seemed to be firing the weapons when they were right alongside us."

Responding to the French denial, Philp said it "was not credible. They fired the live rounds at the closest point of approach to us – and didn't fire anything that we saw before or after. It looked and sounded exactly like deliberate intimidation."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This is a matter for the French authorities."