French military ship heads to Jersey to join post-Brexit fishing protest as Royal Navy patrols waters iwradio.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from iwradio.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Britain sends patrol ships to English Channel island amid fishery tensions with France
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Two British Royal Navy ships have been sent to the island of Jersey ahead of a planned blockade by French fishing vessels protesting new fishing licenses from the island. Image courtesy of Google Maps/Website
May 6 (UPI) The British government said it dispatched two Royal Navy patrol ships to Jersey as tensions over fisheries between the self-governing island and France climb.
In a statement Wednesday, a spokesperson said the ships were being sent to the island, which is a British Crown Dependency just off the French coast in the English Channel, as a precautionary measure to monitor the situation.
Prime minister Boris Johnson spoke to Jersey Chief Minister Senator John Le Fondre and External Affairs Minister Ian Gorst on Wednesday, and “underlined his unwavering support” for the island. Dozens of French boats arrived at the harbour on Thursday morning, with some crews setting off flares during the so far peaceful protest, according to the Jersey Evening Post. Paris has warned it could cut off power to the island, which receives 95% of its electricity from France through three undersea cables, in retaliation for the fallout. A Ministry of Defence spokesman said: “HMS Severn and HMS Tamar are deploying to Jersey to conduct maritime security patrols.
Screengrabs from video courtesy of Alex Ferguson showing French fishing vessels staging a protest outside the harbour at St Helier, Jersey THE UK has sent in Royal Navy vessels to patrol waters around Jersey as French boats gathered to protest over post-Brexit fishing rules. HMS Severn and HMS Tamar have been deployed by the UK Government to “monitor the situation” at the Channel Island. French maritime minister Annick Girardin had warned on Tuesday that the country is ready to take “retaliatory measures”, accusing Jersey of dragging its feet over issuing new licences to French boats. The UK has been criticised for the move, with some seeing it as gunboat diplomacy designed to boost Tory electoral chances today.
Jersey Has Boris Johnson s Unequivocal Support , Says No.10
HMS Severn and HMS Tamar have been deployed to “monitor the situation” at the Channel Island.
Jersey has the UK government’s “unequivocal support”, Downing Street has said, amid an ongoing row with France over post-Brexit fishing rights.
Two Royal Navy vessels are patrolling waters around Jersey amid concerns of a possible blockade of the island.
HMS Severn and HMS Tamar have been deployed to “monitor the situation” at the Channel Island amid a protest by French fishing vessels at the port of St Helier over the lack of access.
France has also despatched two patrol boats to the area.