UK sends two Navy ships to Jersey after France threatens blockade Politics News

In recent weeks London and Paris have continued to clash with fishing, saying French fishermen are preventing them from operating in British waters.

Britain is sending two naval patrol vessels to Jersey after suggesting France could cut off electricity to the Channel Island if its fishermen do not give it full access to UK fishing waters under post-Brexit trade conditions.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday promised “undeniable support” for the island after discussing the French blockade’s view with Jersey officials.

Johnson “stressed the urgent need to increase tensions,” a Johnson spokesman said.

“As a precautionary measure, the UK will send Offshore patrol vessels to monitor the situation.”

Paris and London have been facing more and more clashes in recent weeks over fishing, with French fishermen saying they are being prevented from operating in British waters because they are having difficulty obtaining licenses.

On Tuesday, France warned that its response was growing after the UK imposed rules governing access to French fishing vessels near the Channel Islands, and said it could bring electricity supply through underwater cables.

French fishermen also plan to join the island’s main port of St Helier on Thursday, despite authorities saying they have no plans to block access.

Unilateral conditions

Earlier, French Navy Minister Annick Girardin said he was “disgusted” to learn that he had issued 41 licenses under conditions unilaterally set by Jersey, including the time French fishing vessels could spend in its waters.

“There are retaliatory measures in the (Brexit) agreement. Well, we are ready to use them, ”Girardin said at the French National Assembly on Tuesday.

“As for the jersey, I remind you how electricity was delivered through the underwater cables … Even if we had to do that it would be unfortunate, we have to do it.”

Jersey, which is dependent on the British Crown, has a population of 108,000 and imports 95% of its electricity from France, supplying diesel generators and gas turbines, according to energy agency S&P Global Platts.

The Jersey government has said France and the European Union are not happy with the conditions for issuing fishing licenses.

Jersey Foreign Minister Ian Gorst has said the island has granted permits under post-Brexit trade conditions, and the new licenses stipulate that a ship must reflect the time a ship has spent in Jersey waters before Brexit.

“We are entering a new era and it takes time to adjust to everything. Jersey has consistently shown a commitment to a smooth transition to the new regime, ”Horst said in a statement.

The rocky island is located 14 km off the north coast of France in the English Channel and 140 km (140 km) south of the coast of Brittany.

The French threat is the latest outbreak of fishing rights between the two countries.

Last month, French trawlers were outraged by delays in fishing licenses in Britain’s waters, blocking fish landed in the UK by burning barricades as they reached Boulogne-sur-Mer, Europe’s largest seafood processing center.