
Chris Philp pelted with bottles and has knife pulled on him during trip to French migrant camp
During a trip with Daily Express journalist Zak Garner-Purkis, the Conservative MP attempted to speak to asylum seekers living in tents near Dunkirk, as they waited to cross the English Channel in small boats.
After attempting to speak to a group of Eritreans and a man carrying lifejackets, he is approached by Mr Garner-Purkis, who informs him that a man with a 'rather large knife' has walked behind them.
In the clip, Mr Philp says: "I found it pretty shocking - you said behind me somebody had pulled out some sort of machete and we left pretty quickly."
Mr Garner-Purkis says the man was "swinging it around in the air", adding: "It was clear he was doing it to send a message to the other people there - whether it was a case of 'don't speak'."
Shortly afterwards while walking along the road recounting the incident to the camera, objects can be seen being thrown at them.
Mr Garner-Purkis says "they are throwing bottles at us" and Philp responds: "Right, we've got to go.
In a post on social media, the Croydon South MP said: 'We were attacked today at the migrant camp dubbed 'The Jungle 2' just outside Dunkirk.
'We were threatened with a machete, pelted with bottles & our car hit as we sped off.
'Those responsible are likely to be in the UK soon in a taxpayer funded hotel. This border madness must end.'
In another video, he filmed a group of migrants boarding a bus while French police appear to be standing by showing 'complete inactivity'.
He said: 'I just found French Police actively facilitating illegal immigration.
'The officers - likely UK funded - are ushering illegal immigrants onto a public bus to take them towards boat embarkation points. I took this shocking footage in Gravelines, northern France, an hour or so ago.'
More than 50,000 migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel since Labour won the 2024 general election.
Home Office figures show 474 migrants arrived by small boat on Monday alone, which brings recorded arrivals to 50,271 since the election on July 4 2024.
Labour former home secretary Baroness Smith of Malvern had said earlier on Tuesday that reaching the milestone is 'unacceptable'.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said Labour's promise to 'smash the criminal boat gangs' in its manifesto last year was 'just a slogan', with crossings now 'so much worse' than they were before the vote.
There have been 27,029 arrivals so far this year, which is 47 per cent higher than at the same point of 2024 when the figure stood at 18,342, and 67 per cent higher than at the same time in 2023 (16,170).
Earlier this month, the government began detaining migrants under a new 'one in, one out' deal with France.
UK officials aim to make referrals for returns to France within three days of a migrant's arrival by small boat, while French authorities will respond within 14 days.
An approved asylum seeker in France will be brought to the UK under a safe route as part of the exchange.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Nearly half of voters fear the Government will not be able to 'smash the gangs' after migrant count hits 50,000
Nearly half of voters think the Government can't control migrants arriving on small boats. While the poll applies to British governments in general, it indicates a lack of faith in Sir Keir Starmer 's 'smash the gangs' policy to control the boats. The survey came as the number of illegal migrants who have crossed the Channel since Labour was elected just over a year ago reached 50,000 – a figure reached more quickly under Sir Keir than previous prime ministers. His first act upon winning the election was to scrap the Rwanda deterrent scheme that the Tories had banked on to get the boat crossings down. The Government's 'returns deal' with France appears to have done little to deter those determined to get to Britain, with more than 2,000 arrivals in the seven days since the 'one in, one out' scheme launched. The YouGov poll, which sampled 8,731 adults, revealed that 48 per cent thought British governments did not have the ability to control the number of arrivals. Just 44 per cent had faith that ministers would be able to restrict the number of small boats, while eight per cent didn't know. Respondents were asked: 'Thinking about the powers and abilities of British governments in general, rather than specific governments, how much do you think a British government has the ability to control the number of migrants coming to the UK on small boats?' Of the five responses – ranging from 'a great deal' to 'none at all' – the most cited category was 'not very much' when it came to controlling numbers. Ministers attempted to dodge the blame after figures confirmed the number of small-boat arrivals had passed 50,000 under Labour even though the milestone – equivalent to one migrant arriving every 11 minutes – was passed seven months earlier than under Sir Keir's Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak. Hundreds more arrived at Dover on Sunday with official figures released on Monday Former Labour home secretary Jacqui Smith blamed the Tories, saying: 'What is happening is the result of the last Government.' She told BBC Breakfast: 'It is an unacceptable number of people. It demonstrates the way over the last six or seven years that the criminal gangs have got an absolute foothold in the tragic trafficking of people across the Channel.' But Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp dismissed Baroness Smith's claims, saying Labour had 'surrendered our borders'. Small-boat numbers are soaring, with 27,029 arrivals this year, up by 47 per cent on the same point last year and 67 per cent on 2023. Since the start of the crisis in 2018, 178,167 migrants have reached Britain, with only about four per cent of them removed. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch this week vowed to stop all small-boat migrants. Asked if the Conservatives could reduce the number of crossings from five figures to zero, Mrs Badenoch replied: 'I think that we can.'


Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Ban Britain's most dangerous drivers for life, say Tories
Britain's most dangerous drivers should be banned from the roads for life, the Conservatives have said. Just one per cent of people convicted of causing death by dangerous driving last year were handed a lifetime driving ban, new figures reveal. Just half a per cent of those convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving were banned for life. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'Under this Government, you can kill someone with your car and be back on the road in just five years. 'In England and Wales, the most dangerous drivers are being let back behind the wheel every single day because of soft sentencing guidelines. This isn't justice – it's a system that clears killers to drive again and again and again. It's time to introduce automatic lifetime bans for the worst offenders. It costs nothing, it saves lives, it is time to act.' Sentencing Council rules set the minimum ban for causing death by dangerous driving at five years. Causing serious injury by dangerous driving attracts a minimum ban of two years, even at the highest culpability and harm levels. Sir Simon Clarke, the director of the Onward think-tank, which carried out the research, said: 'It's outrageous that killers and serial offenders are being handed their licences back like nothing happened. Lifetime bans should be the norm, not the exception.' Onward's research highlighted cases including that of Cain Byrne, 20, who – despite never having held a driving licence – ran over and killed an 81-year-old cyclist moments after inhaling laughing gas from a balloon. He was sentenced earlier this year to 11 years and six months in a young offenders' institution, and banned from driving for 17 years and eight months. In another case highlighted, a motorist who ran over a cyclist after the victim spat on his Land Rover during a road rage row was jailed for 18 months and banned from getting behind the wheel for three years. Nick Cook was left with a broken pelvis, six broken ribs and a punctured liver after the road rage incident. Alan Moult, then aged 74, admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving over the July 2020 confrontation. Three years ago, the Conservatives toughened sentencing rules for causing death by dangerous driving, with offenders facing life sentences from 2022 onwards. The current Sentencing Council rules, which judges must obey, say the typical sentence will fall between two and 18 years imprisonment.


Telegraph
4 hours ago
- Telegraph
Starmer's ‘one in, one out' migrant deal has already failed, evidence suggests
Fifty per cent more migrants have crossed the Channel since Sir Keir Starmer agreed his 'one in, one out' deal with France than in the same period last year, analysis shows. The deal, struck with Emmanuel Macron, the French president, last month means Britain will detain illegal migrants and send them back to France in return for taking a similar number of asylum seekers from France. The agreement is meant to deter migrants from making the Channel crossing because those who reach Britain are likely to be sent back. Sir Keir unveiled the scheme at a joint press conference with Mr Macron on July 10, four weeks before the scheme began, and said it would 'show others trying to make the same journey that it will be in vain'. The Prime Minister wrote on X last month: 'For the very first time, migrants arriving via small boat will be detained and returned to France in short order. This Government is breaking the business model of criminal smuggling gangs and securing our borders.' But analysis by The Telegraph suggests the announcement did not have a deterrent effect. It has found that, between July 10 and last Sunday, the most recent day for which the Home Office has published figures, 5,438 migrants crossed the Channel in small boats. This is more than 50 per cent higher than the 3,581 who made the journey over the same period last year, which was the first month of the Government's Border Security Command. It is also 78 per cent greater than the 3,055 arrivals under Rishi Sunak in the summer of 2023, and narrowly beats the previous record of 5,360, set in 2022 when Boris Johnson was prime minister. It is believed that the trial scheme, which began on Wednesday, will return about 50 migrants a week to France, which will mean about 800 over the course of a year. The weather is a significant factor in the number of people crossing the Channel, with conditions good so far this year. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: 'These figures show that the Government's so-called deal is no deterrent at all. 'I saw this with my own eyes on the Channel last week. If only 6 per cent of the illegal immigrants are removed and 94 per cent can stay in the UK, that is no deterrent at all. We need every single illegal immigrant to be removed upon arrival. That would be a real deterrent.' He added that he believed the Government was 'too weak to do it, and as a result, this year so far has been the worst in history' for migrant crossings. The Government hopes that the number of returns to France will quickly increase after the trial period of the scheme is over. The Home Office released footage of migrants being detained on the first day that the scheme was running, with the first men arrested at Dover harbour. The number of migrants to cross the English Channel since Labour came to power last summer is expected to hit 50,000 this week. Kemi Badenoch, the leader of the Conservatives, has claimed that she would reduce the number to zero 'quickly' if she entered No 10. A Home Office spokesman said: 'This analysis does not represent the effectiveness of our ground-breaking pilot scheme to detain and return migrants to France, which was implemented just last week. 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security, and break the business model of vile people-smuggling gangs. 'So far this year, 15,000 crossing attempts have been stopped, and we know more needs to be done to build on this. 'Alongside our pilot scheme, the French authorities are also working to amend their operational policy to allow maritime forces to intervene at sea.'