Britain does a deal to end scallop wars
As French admit ‘regret’ over Channel clash...
BRITAIN yesterday agreed a truce with France over the ‘scallop war’ that has seen violent clashes between fishermen in the English Channel.
After days of rising tensions over the battle between crews off the coast of Normandy last week, the Government said it would controversially keep British boats out of the rich fishing ground.
The ‘ gentleman’s agreement’ thrashed out during peace talks in London – during which the French were said to have expressed ‘regret’ – is likely to infuriate the owners of small fishing vessels who are legally entitled to fish in the waters.
It came after a 35-strong French flotilla ambushed a group of five British vessels last Tuesday, hurling flares and dangerous projectiles at them.
As part of the deal, France has agreed to pay the UK compensation in return for blocking British boats from filling their nets off the Bay of Seine during summer months. The decision comes despite warnings from British fishermen that such a deal would see them ‘give up everything’ and appears to contradict the Government’s promise to ‘take back control’ of UK fishing rights after Brexit.
Officials will not refine the agreement until tomorrow when the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said France will be expected to propose a ‘reasonable’ payment package.
Jim Portus, from the South West Fish Producers Organisation, told Sky News: ‘Quite frankly if it’s not good enough [the compensation] it’ll still be rejected. ‘The owners of the vessels have got to know they are going to be as well-off in terms of their income from where they are allowed to fish.’ Asked if the French apologised, Mr Portus was tightlipped, saying only: ‘ I’m pleased to say regret was voiced before we started our negotiations.’ British fleets are allowed to fish the international waters off the coast of Normandy year-round but a domestic law applying only to French vessels prevents them from fishing over the summer.
Yesterday’s provisional deal follows a 2013 pact in which larger British boats agreed to mirror the French laws that introduce a scallop season from October 1 to May 15.
In the past, the British have agreed to leave the area alone in August, September and October in return for some extra fishing days from France’s EU allocation.
The new agreement is crucially expected to cover smaller British vessels under 15m (49ft) in length, which were previously excluded.
A rise in the number of smaller British boats fishing in the area in recent months prompted French officials to claim that UK fishermen were ‘looting’ the area while they had to watch.
France yesterday faced calls to prosecute the fishermen who escalated the conflict last week by attacking the English boats, with leading MPs saying they should be charged with assault.
In a robust intervention, the chairman of the Commons environment, food and rural affairs committee – which oversees fishing – urged the Government to be less ‘reasonable’ in talks with France.
Tory MP Neil Parish quizzed fisheries minister George Eustice on why the Government has not pushed for the 40strong French flotilla to face punishment.
Mr Parish said: ‘Surely under British law this is assault.’ Mr Eustice said he was unaware of any French prosecutions.
Chequers plan is less of an obstacle
THE pound jumped yesterday amid reports the UK and Germany have agreed to drop a key Brexit demand – which could smooth the path for negotiations and help avoid a ‘no deal’.
In order to get an exit deal done in time, Germany has agreed to accept a less detailed agreement on the future trade and economic relationship, according to officials.
The UK is also said to be willing to settle for a watered-down statement of intent, although Downing Street last night played down that suggestion. It came as a Labour MP said Theresa May’s Chequers plan has been declared ‘dead’ by EU negotiator Michel Barnier.
Both the UK and EU initially said they wanted a detailed agreement on future economic ties as part of the divorce deal, with UK and EU negotiators once planning a blueprint of up to 100 pages. But it is now claimed the final document could be a tenth of that.
The pound rallied at the news, with sterling trading 0.9 per cent higher yesterday afternoon and peaking at $1.2983. It also gained 0.5 per cent to 89.67p per euro.
The development is significant because it means the EU’s opposition to Mrs May’s proposal on the future relationship – also known as the Chequers plan – could become less of an obstacle to reaching an exit deal with Brussels by the deadline in seven weeks.
However, a watered- down agreement on future ties could make Mrs May’s task of getting the divorce deal through Parliament even harder.
Privately, ministers believe it would be almost impossible to persuade MPs to sign off on the £ 39 billion divorce bill this autumn without a clear, detailed statement setting out what the UK will receive in terms of a future trade deal.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said last night: ‘We have always said that when Parliament votes on this it needs to be a meaningful vote and it needs to be based on proper information. Parliament needs to be able to make an informed decision – there is no change in that.’
A government source added: ‘We need as much detail as possible in the statement on the future partnership if we are going to sell this to Parliament.’
EU governments have long been divided over how much detail on the future relationship should be agreed before Brexit.
France’s Emmanuel Macron is said to want clear details on the terms of a future trade deal and opposes a so-called ‘blind Brexit’ where options are left open.
UK and EU negotiators have been struggling to reach agreement partly because Brussels dislikes much of Mrs May’s Chequers plan. In particular, it is strongly opposed to the proposal for the UK to stay aligned to the bloc for goods while having the freedom to diverge on services and strike global trade deals.
At a Commons European scrutiny select committee hearing yesterday, Labour MP Stephen Kinnock told Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab that Mr Barnier had made it ‘crystal clear’ to a delegation of MPs on Monday that the Chequers deal was unacceptable.
He added: ‘I can tell you absolutely, unequivocally, without a shadow of a doubt, that Chequers is dead in the water.’
Both sides in the negotiations have made clear they must reach an agreement by no later than November in order that a deal can be ratified by the UK and EU parliaments before Britain leaves on March 29.
The latest development came after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country was doing all it could to ensure Britain and the EU reaches a deal.
Speaking at a conference in Frankfurt, she said: ‘We don’t want the discussions to break down. But we also can’t fully rule that out because we still have no result.
‘But I promise you that we will use all our force and creativity to make sure a deal happens.’