Friday, October 29, 2021
Was this gunboat diplomacy an inevitable consequence of Brexit?
We already know that fishermen feel let down and betrayed by Brexit after unrealistic and undeliverable promises made to them by Boris Johnson and his brexiteer chums inevitably hit the rocks. But now the true consequences of the UK's imtransigience is starting to hit the fishing industry with both UK and French ministers digging in and making increasingly wild threats against the other.
As the BBC reports, the UK environment secretary, George Eustice has suggested Britain would retaliate if France imposes sanctions in an escalating row over post-Brexit fishing rights, while foreign secretary, Liz Truss has summoned the French ambassador to the Foreign Office over the seizure of a British fishing boat.
The paper adds that French ministers have also warned they will block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK if the issue is not resolved by 2 November — as well as threatening the electricity supply to the Channel Islands:
A British trawler was seized by France and another fined during checks off Le Havre on Thursday.
French authorities said the detained vessel did not have a licence.
Mr Eustice told BBC Breakfast the trawler had been granted a licence at the beginning of the year and the government was "trying to get to the bottom" of why it had subsequently been taken off the list given to the European Union.
France was angered by a decision from the UK and Jersey last month to deny fishing licences to dozens of French boats, and argued that this breached the Brexit deal.
The country has warned it would block British boats from landing their catches in some ports next week and tighten checks on UK boats and trucks if the dispute over fishing licences was not resolved by 2 November.
France has also warned it could cut electricity supplies to Jersey, a British Crown dependency, as it previously threatened in May.
The deal that has been struck with the EU enables their boats to continue to fish in UK waters for some years to come, but UK fishing boats will get a greater share of the fish from UK waters. There will be a shift in the share phased in between 2021 and 2026, with most of the quota transferred in 2021.
As the BBC reports, the UK environment secretary, George Eustice has suggested Britain would retaliate if France imposes sanctions in an escalating row over post-Brexit fishing rights, while foreign secretary, Liz Truss has summoned the French ambassador to the Foreign Office over the seizure of a British fishing boat.
The paper adds that French ministers have also warned they will block British boats from some French ports and tighten checks on vessels travelling between France and the UK if the issue is not resolved by 2 November — as well as threatening the electricity supply to the Channel Islands:
A British trawler was seized by France and another fined during checks off Le Havre on Thursday.
French authorities said the detained vessel did not have a licence.
Mr Eustice told BBC Breakfast the trawler had been granted a licence at the beginning of the year and the government was "trying to get to the bottom" of why it had subsequently been taken off the list given to the European Union.
France was angered by a decision from the UK and Jersey last month to deny fishing licences to dozens of French boats, and argued that this breached the Brexit deal.
The country has warned it would block British boats from landing their catches in some ports next week and tighten checks on UK boats and trucks if the dispute over fishing licences was not resolved by 2 November.
France has also warned it could cut electricity supplies to Jersey, a British Crown dependency, as it previously threatened in May.
The deal that has been struck with the EU enables their boats to continue to fish in UK waters for some years to come, but UK fishing boats will get a greater share of the fish from UK waters. There will be a shift in the share phased in between 2021 and 2026, with most of the quota transferred in 2021.
After that, there will be annual negotiations to decide how the catch is shared out between the UK and EU. The UK would have the right to completely exclude EU boats after 2026. But the EU could respond with taxes on exports of British fish to the EU or by denying UK boats access to EU waters.
However, the latest events indicate that even that compromise is starting to break down. Brexit is going so well.
However, the latest events indicate that even that compromise is starting to break down. Brexit is going so well.
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Given that the source of the European project was to make conflict on the continent unthinkable in future, the answer to your headline must be "yes".
If I were in Macron's position I would by-pass the Tory government and appeal directly, as head of state to head of state, to the Duke of Normandy who in law is proprietor of the Channel Islands.
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If I were in Macron's position I would by-pass the Tory government and appeal directly, as head of state to head of state, to the Duke of Normandy who in law is proprietor of the Channel Islands.
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