Britain and France faced calls on Saturday to sort out their post-Brexit spat over fishing rights in the English Channel, which threatens to escalate within days into a damaging French blockade of British boats and trucks.
French President Emmanuel Macron warned that the dispute is testing the UK’s international credibility, while each countries accused the other of being in breach of the post-Brexit trade agreement that Britain’s government signed with the European Union before it left the bloc.
As the war of words intensified, Britain said it was “actively considering” launching legal action if France goes through with threats to bar UK fishing boats from its ports and slap strict checks on British catches.
“If there is a breach of the (Brexit) treaty or we think there is a breach of the treaty then we will do what is necessary to protect British interests,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told British broadcasters in Rome, where he and Macron are both attending a Group of 20 summit.
At stake is fishing — a tiny industry economically that looms large symbolically for maritime nations like Britain and France. Britain’s exit from the economic rules of the 27-nation bloc at the start of this year means the UK now controls who fishes in its waters.
