MP Accuses French Warship of Firing Shots Near Him

Conservative MP Chris Philp has claimed a French warship fired live rounds near his vessel in the English Channel. The incident took place while Mr Philp was on a boat monitoring illegal migrant crossings. He stated on social media that 17 live rounds were discharged behind his boat, with no prior notice or indication that a training exercise was underway.

Mr Philp, who is the shadow home secretary, described the event as feeling like "warning shots or attempted intimidation". He was being interviewed by the BBC at the time the French warship approached closely and fired the shots. The Guardian reported that Mr Philp rejected any French claim that the firing was part of a training exercise.

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In separate comments, Mr Philp also addressed the issue of prison capacity in the UK. He acknowledged that previous government actions were insufficient and expressed regret for this. He stated his focus is on developing current and future solutions to the problem.

Mr Philp suggested that renting prison places abroad, similar to a model used by Sweden with Estonia, could be a viable option to avoid releasing violent offenders early. He also appealed to the public for cooperation, stating that local opposition to potential prison sites hinders the development of necessary facilities. He emphasised that communities cannot object to every proposed location for new prisons.