Boris Johnson says he is ready to take action against the French government as a post-Brexit fishing row deepens.
French fleets have again threatened blockades of ports and the Channel Tunnel, while ministers in Paris have warned they could slow down border checks and even cut off energy supplies in retaliation.
Mr Johnson says he will do ‘whatever is necessary to protect British interests’, a sign the row may be far from over.
The spat revolves around licences for small boats to fish in British waters, which are issued only if the vessels can demonstrate a history of operating in the area.
Dozens of French applications were turned down because, UK officials say, insufficient supporting evidence was provided.
But Paris has accused counterparts in London of reneging on a contentious component of the UK’s withdrawal agreement with the European Union.
French president Emmanual Macron told the Financial Times: ‘When you spend years negotiating a treaty and then a few months later you do the opposite of what was decided on the aspects that suit you the least, it is not a big sign of your credibility.’
Mr Macron is up for election in April 2022, so some commentators have speculated his hardline stance is motivated by domestic political politics.
But there appears to be a concerted effort across the French government to win concessions from the UK.
Prime minister Jean Castex has written to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to encourage Brussels to back Paris’ position against London, according to The Telegraph.
A leaked letter pressed the European Union to use the ‘levers at its disposal’ and to ‘make clear…that compliance with the commitments entered into is non-negotiable and that leaving the Union is more damaging than remaining in it’.
On Thursday, French authorities seized a British trawler and issued warnings to another, a move widely seen as a further escalation of the dispute.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss took the rare step of ordering an allied nation’s envoy to be summoned as she called Catherine Colonna, French ambassador to the UK, to the Foreign Office on Friday afternoon to challenge her over France’s stance.
Downing Street said it would not be commenting on Mr Macron’s latest remarks but confirmed he and Mr Johnson were due to talk at the G20 summit this weekend.
Boris Johnson, who admitted there is ‘turbulence’ in Anglo-French relations currently, told reporters he was ‘puzzled about what is going on’ and claimed Paris’ behaviour could be in contravention of the UK’s Brexit deal with the EU.
Speaking to reporters on the flight to the G20 in Rome, he urged British fishermen to ‘be confident about going about their lawful business’ as he promised action against any infringements on their right to fish.
A French fishing leader has today reiterated threats to block lorries getting to the UK if the impasse isn’t resolved, signalling this could happen from Tuesday.
President and chairman of the ports of Calais and Boulogne-sur-Mer, Jean-Marc Puissesseau said: ‘If no agreement can be found, it will be a drama, it will be a disaster in your country because the trucks will not cross (the border).
‘I think it is a ridiculous point and I hope that the British will find an agreement, a solution to get out of this point.’
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