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Boris Johnson has not ruled out triggering the dispute mechanism against France as a row between the two countries over post-Brexit fishing rights escalates.

On Friday, France seized a British scallop trawler and threatened to block ports and increase checks on boats and lorries over the UK denying some boats a licence to fish in Jersey’s waters.

French President Emmanuel Macron raised tensions further with the UK after telling the Financial Times that the UK is risking its “credibility” after going back on commitments made to the EU with regards to fishing.

Speaking to Sky News’ Beth Rigby on Saturday ahead of the G20 summit in Rome, the PM reiterated that he will “do what is necessary to protect British interests” if ministers believe the French have breached the UK-EU trade agreement.

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UK-France fishing row intensifies

Addressing the diplomatic dispute, Mr Johnson admitted to Sky News that he is “worried” that the French may have broken the treaty with regards to fishing.

Pressed on whether he could rule out triggering the dispute mechanism against the French next week, the PM added: “No, of course not, I do not rule that out.”

The dispute process would see a consultation period started, after which, if there is no solution found, an arbitration panel would be formed with compensation demanded or even the treaty suspended as punishment, according to the Commons Library.

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The row erupted after the UK authorities refused to give licences to 55 French fishing vessels to fish in UK waters because they believed they did not meet the requirements.

But the French claim the British are in the wrong and had threatened to make it difficult for UK fishers and lorry drivers in France.

Tensions escalated further after a British scallop trawler – named the Cornelis Gert Jan – was detained in Le Havre on Thursday.

Andrew Brown, head of public affairs for Macduff Shellfish, which owns the boat, said the charge “relates to fishing in French waters without a licence and that’s the bone of contention”.

“We believe we were fishing with a valid licence and the French authorities don’t,” he said.

As well as detaining the scallop trawler, France has also fined two other fishing vessels over the row.

French President Emmanuel Macron gives a news conference during the signing ceremony of the deal to buy frigates
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French President Emmanuel Macron came face-to-face with Boris Johnson at the G20 summit and will again at the upcoming COP26 climate conference

Mr Johnson said: “If another European country wants to break the TCA – the Trade and Cooperation Agreement – then obviously we will have to take steps to protect UK interests.”

“We are very keen to work with our friends and partners on all these issues,” he told Beth Rigby.

Pressed on whether the UK will launch a dispute settlement with France next week after Brexit minister Lord Frost told the EU on Friday that the UK government could launch proceedings if France goes ahead with its threats over the fishing row, the PM said: “If there is a breach of the treaty, or if we think there is a breach of the treaty of course we will do what is necessary to protect British interests.”

Asked if he believes there has been a rule-break, Mr Johnson said: “I am worried that there might be – and I am looking at what is going on at the moment, and I think that we need to sort it out.”

Fishing boats moored in the port of Boulogne, France. Environment Secretary George Eustice has warned France the UK could retaliate if it goes ahead with threats in the fishing row, warning that "two can play at that game". Picture date: Friday October 29, 2021.
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Fishing boats moored in the port of Boulogne, France

Mr Johnson said the UK government “want to see that treaty observed”, but added that “the much more important issue” before world leaders today is climate change.

The PM and President Macron came face-to-face at the G20 summit in Rome this weekend and will do again at the COP26 climate conference in Glasgow.

Speaking on Friday, a Downing Street spokesman said Mr Johnson will have a “brush by” with the French president about the row at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, which starts on Sunday.

The spokesperson added that threats to “disrupt UK fisheries and wider trade, to threaten energy supplies… would put the European Union in breach of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement”.

Meanwhile, a letter seen by Sky News shows the French Prime Minister Jean Castex urging the EU to prove that there is “more damage to leaving the EU than to remaining there”.

In the letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, dated 28 October, Mr Castex states: “It’s essential to clearly show to European public opinion that respecting commitments isn’t negotiable and that it’s more damaging to leave the European Union than to stay in it.”

Mr Castex adds that the EU must demonstrate its “total determination” to force the UK to stick to the agreements it has made on fishing.

France says the decision from the UK and Jersey in September to deny fishing licences to French boats was a breach of the Brexit deal.

French officials have warned that they will prevent British boats from landing their catches in some French ports next week unless the row is resolved by Tuesday.

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Brexit: ‘These threats are not acceptable’

Speaking to Sky News on Friday, Environment Secretary George Eustice said the UK has issued post-Brexit licences to 1,700 vessels, including 750 French fishing boats, which amounts to 98% of applicants.

He said the remaining 55 vessels, despite the UK trying to help them with the data, could not prove they had fished in Jersey’s waters previously so could not get a licence under the trade and co-operation agreement with the EU.

As well as detaining the scallop trawler, France has also fined two other UK fishing vessels over the dispute.

Mr Eustice said: “We don’t know what we’ll do, they said they wouldn’t introduce these measures until Tuesday at the earliest, we’ll see what they do.

“But if they do bring these measures into place, well, two can play at that game and we obviously reserve the ability to respond in a proportionate way.”

The French ambassador to the UK was summoned to Downing Street on Thursday over the issue.

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Why Boris’s best mate is off to Reform

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Why Boris's best mate is off to Reform

👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne’s on your podcast app👈       

Former Conservative chairman and friend of Boris Johnson – Sir Jake Berry – is defecting to Reform UK, causing more problems for Tory leader Kemi Badenoch.

On today’s episode, Sky News’ Sam Coates and Politico’s Anne McElvoy discuss if his defection will divide parts of Reform policy.

Elsewhere, the Anglo-French summit gets under way, with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer hoping to announce a migration deal with French President Emmanuel Macron to deter small boat crossings.

Plus, chatter around Whitehall that No10 are considering a pre-summer reshuffle, but will it have any value?

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Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

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Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

Australia to test CBDCs, stablecoins in next stage of crypto play

The trial is part of Project Acacia, an initiative from the RBA exploring how digital money and tokenization could support financial markets in Australia.

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Starmer and Macron agree need for ‘new deterrent’ to stop small boat crossings

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Starmer and Macron agree need for 'new deterrent' to stop small boat crossings

Sir Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron have agreed the need for a “new deterrent” to deter small boats crossings in the Channel, Downing Street has said.

The prime minister met Mr Macron this afternoon as part of the French president’s state visit to the UK, which began on Tuesday.

High up the agenda for the two leaders is the need to tackle small boat crossings in the Channel, which Mr Macron said yesterday was a “burden” for both the UK and France.

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The small boats crisis is a pressing issue for the prime minister, given that more than 20,000 migrants crossed the English Channel to the UK in the first six months of this year – a rise of almost 50% on the number crossing in 2024.

Sir Keir is hoping he can reach a deal for a one-in one-out return treaty with France, ahead of the UK-France summit on Thursday, which will involve ministerial teams from both nations.

The deal would see those crossing the Channel illegally sent back to France in exchange for Britain taking in any asylum seeker with a family connection in the UK.

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However, it is understood the deal is still in the balance, with some EU countries unhappy about France and the UK agreeing on a bilateral deal.

French newspaper Le Monde reports that up to 50 small boat migrants could be sent back to France each week, starting from August, as part of an agreement between Sir Keir and Mr Macron.

A statement from Downing Street said: “The prime minister met the French President Emmanuel Macron in Downing Street this afternoon.

“They reflected on the state visit of the president so far, agreeing that it had been an important representation of the deep ties between our two countries.

“Moving on to discuss joint working, they shared their desire to deepen our partnership further – from joint leadership in support of Ukraine to strengthening our defence collaboration and increasing bilateral trade and investment.”

It added: “The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions.

“The prime minister spoke of his government’s toughening of the system in the past year to ensure rules are respected and enforced, including a massive surge in illegal working arrests to end the false promise of jobs that are used to sell spaces on boats.

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“The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, seized on the statement to criticise Labour for scrapping the Conservatives’ Rwanda plan, which the Tories claim would have sent asylum seekers “entering the UK illegally” to Rwanda.

He said in an online post: “We had a deterrent ready to go, where every single illegal immigrant arriving over the Channel would be sent to Rwanda.

“But Starmer cancelled this before it had a chance to start.

“Now, a year later, he’s realised he made a massive mistake. That’s why numbers have surged and this year so far has been the worst in history for illegal channel crossings.

“Starmer is weak and incompetent and he’s lost control of our borders.”

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