French police officers stationed on a northern French beach told Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp they had been ordered not to physically stop migrants launching small boats across the English Channel, according to video released by the British MP.
Philp spoke with French officers just a few feet away from a migrant departure as people entered the water bound for the UK. In footage shared online, he asked officers why they had allowed the launch to go ahead.
“Why have you allowed the migrants into the water? Why haven't you stopped them?” Philp asked. One officer replied: “Our order is to let them go. We just have to say to them ‘Don’t do that; it’s dangerous.’” When Philp asked whether their orders were not to intervene, another officer responded: “We have to protect them." Philp replied, "There’s also protecting the border as well."
The exchange comes as Britain continues paying France around £500 million to fund additional policing, surveillance technology and enforcement efforts aimed at disrupting people-smuggling networks and reducing illegal Channel crossings. Philp said that on the day of his visit, more than 300 migrants had already reached British waters, while roughly 400 more remained in French waters waiting to cross.
Philp spent time along France's Channel Coast documenting migrant crossings and the French response. During a separate trip aboard a fishing vessel, he said he witnessed members of the French navy handing life jackets to migrants before they departed and “waving off” the boats as they headed toward Britain.
The Conservative MP also said a French warship fired 17 shots while his vessel was nearby. French authorities disputed his characterization of the incident, but Philp rejected their explanation. “There was no notice or training exercise in place. Felt like warning shots or attempted intimidation,” he said. “It was alarming. They fired those 17 shots at the closest point of approach with us.
“They didn't shoot them beforehand or afterwards. They shot them when they were very close to our boat. I can only imagine it was done to intimidate us. There was no warning given on the radio channels.”
In December, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said a future French government under his party would seek closer cooperation with Britain on stopping illegal Channel crossings. Speaking to The Telegraph after talks with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Bardella said he would support joint patrols with the UK and back British Border Force "pushbacks" in the Channel, a policy successive French governments have declined to adopt.
Philp spoke with French officers just a few feet away from a migrant departure as people entered the water bound for the UK. In footage shared online, he asked officers why they had allowed the launch to go ahead.
“Why have you allowed the migrants into the water? Why haven't you stopped them?” Philp asked. One officer replied: “Our order is to let them go. We just have to say to them ‘Don’t do that; it’s dangerous.’” When Philp asked whether their orders were not to intervene, another officer responded: “We have to protect them." Philp replied, "There’s also protecting the border as well."
The exchange comes as Britain continues paying France around £500 million to fund additional policing, surveillance technology and enforcement efforts aimed at disrupting people-smuggling networks and reducing illegal Channel crossings. Philp said that on the day of his visit, more than 300 migrants had already reached British waters, while roughly 400 more remained in French waters waiting to cross.
Philp spent time along France's Channel Coast documenting migrant crossings and the French response. During a separate trip aboard a fishing vessel, he said he witnessed members of the French navy handing life jackets to migrants before they departed and “waving off” the boats as they headed toward Britain.
The Conservative MP also said a French warship fired 17 shots while his vessel was nearby. French authorities disputed his characterization of the incident, but Philp rejected their explanation. “There was no notice or training exercise in place. Felt like warning shots or attempted intimidation,” he said. “It was alarming. They fired those 17 shots at the closest point of approach with us.
“They didn't shoot them beforehand or afterwards. They shot them when they were very close to our boat. I can only imagine it was done to intimidate us. There was no warning given on the radio channels.”
In December, National Rally leader Jordan Bardella said a future French government under his party would seek closer cooperation with Britain on stopping illegal Channel crossings. Speaking to The Telegraph after talks with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, Bardella said he would support joint patrols with the UK and back British Border Force "pushbacks" in the Channel, a policy successive French governments have declined to adopt.
