UK PM Boris Johnson claims position in the French fishing dispute remains unchanged

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated that Britain's position on a row with France over post-Brexit fishing rights remained unchanged, as per a reports by Evening Standard. According to him, the dispute over post-Brexit fishing arrangements with France is unimportant as compared to addressing climate change.

Johnson told the reporters during a press conference at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow on Tuesday that they are working very closely with their French allies on the things that matter most to the people, which is tackling climate change and decreasing CO2. He further said that in comparison to that tremendously important issue, the post-Brexit fishing rights are "vanishingly unimportant." He further informed the reporters that the UK has not changed its attitude on the fishing issue.

Paris could prohibit British boats from landing their catch in French ports

According to Evening Standard, in response to what they believe is a refusal by the UK authorities to issue French vessels licences, French President Emmanuel Macron previously threatened that Paris could prohibit British boats from landing their catch in French ports and tighten customs checks. However, he backed down from it and stated that they don't want an escalation but they have to take things seriously. 

UK Secretary of State for Environment George Eustice said that they welcome the fact that France has backed down from the threats it made last Wednesday. According to him, they want to de-escalate the situation, and they have always said they are willing to talk about any new evidence France or the EU may have on any additional vessels they would like to licence. According to Evening Standard, he further said that there will be a crucial discussion on Thursday not just on fisheries but on a broader range of topics too.

United Kingdom has granted permission to operate in British waters to 98% of EU ships

Both Britain and France have accused each other of violating the separation agreement for Brexit. During their meeting on Sunday, Johnson and Macron agreed that they needed to talk to each other in a scenario of significant tensions. The United Kingdom has granted permission to operate in British waters to 98% of EU vessels that have applied, according to Evening Standard. However, the French government was enraged that the UK initially only awarded 12 licences for smaller vessels out of 47 applicants.

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