PM sends Navy to face the French in Jersey
Two patrol vessels set sail as fishermen prepare blockade and UK plans retaliation in power row
THE Royal Navy is being deployed to Jersey amid fears that French fishermen will today blockade the island’s main port as the row over post-brexit fishing arrangements escalates.
Boris Johnson last night sent two Navy patrol vessels to St Helier following a phone call with the country’s chief minister, Senator John Le Fondré.
More than 60 French fishing vessels are today expected to arrive in the port to protest over restrictions to their access to the waters around the island.
Angered by Jersey’s decision to place limits on fishing licences, the fishermen threatened, on the 200th anniversary of the death of Napoleon, to bring the island to “its knees”.
Under the terms of the Brexit trade deal and fishing agreement, EU boats must prove they have fished waters in the past in order to obtain licences to operate around Jersey.
Last night, a Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister and chief minister stressed the urgent need for a de-escalation in tensions and for dialogue between Jersey and France on fishing access.
“The Prime Minister underlined his unwavering support for Jersey. He said that any blockade would be completely unjustified. As a precautionary measure the UK will be sending two Offshore Patrol Vessels to monitor the situation.”
Last night the Ministry of Defence said HMS Tamar, which was commissioned last year and is equipped with machine guns, had been deployed and would arrive today. The second, HMS Severn, is also on its way.
The row began on Tuesday when the French seas minister, Annick Girardin, said her country was prepared to cut Jersey’s electricity supply unless it relented over access to UK waters. Jersey, which gets 95 per cent of its electricity from France, granted access to its waters to 41 French fishing vessels when 344 had applied for licences.
Paris also accuses Jersey of unilaterally introducing conditions beyond the Brexit deal, which limit where French fishermen can go and for how long, and what machinery they can use.
Yesterday, government sources accused Paris of sinking lower than the island’s Nazi occupiers in the Second World War. “At least when the Germans invaded they kept the lights on,” a source said.
The Daily Telegraph understands that Britain is drawing up plans to retaliate by reviewing its energy links with France in the wake of the row.
A Whitehall source described France’s actions as “outrageous” and said the UK would take a more cautious view of the nation as an energy partner. Britain could look at routing giant power cable projects towards the Netherlands, which it views as a more reliable partner than France.
A flotilla, estimated to be 60 French fishing boats, is to set sail for St Helier. Didier Leguelinel, from the Normandy fishing committee, said: “We have been insulted by the Jersey government.” During a meeting on Monday, fishermen shouted: “We’re going to block St Helier and stop [Jersey] fishermen unloading their fish products in our ports.”
David Sellam, head of the joint Normandy-brittany sea authority, said: “We are confronted by people who are not
trustworthy. Jersey has been taken over by an extremist fringe who want to reduce French fishing access and profit from Brexit.
“We’re ready for war. We can bring Jersey to its knees if necessary.”
Jersey, a self-governing crown dependency with 108,000 residents, receives its electricity from France through three undersea cables. The remaining 5 per cent is largely from onisland diesel generators and gas.
The Telegraph understands that a review of energy links with France is being discussed. Currently, Britain imports around 8 per cent of its power from foreign nations and Northern Ireland via underwater interconnectors.
However, as the UK becomes more reliant on wind power there are plans to increase foreign electricity imports to around 25 per cent by building underwater cables which can be relied upon when wind power supplies are low.
Whitehall sources suggested France could now be cut out of any future deal to provide energy to Britain in the wake of the threats made to Jersey.
Whitehall discussions over the future of energy links with France could jeopardise a project led by the Tory donor Alexander Temerko to build a £1.1billion power cable between Hampshire and Le Havre.
His company, Aquind, says the project will be able to provide enough electricity for about five million homes.
However, the row is not expected to affect the Government’s attitude towards EDF, the French state-owned utility which is in negotiations with the UK about building a new nuclear power station, Sizewell C, in Suffolk.
EDF is already building the Hinkley Point C power station in Somerset.
Plans for Aquind’s project have been examined by the UK’S planning inspectorate, which now has until June 8 to submit a recommendation to the Business Secretary.
Last night, Mr Temerko suggested a cable connection to Jersey could be added to his or other inter-connectors, cutting the island’s reliance on France.
Commenting on France’s threat to Jersey, he said: “Today we have a problem with fish regulations, yesterday it was vaccines, tomorrow it will be something else. We cannot threaten each other and put at risk vital gas or electricity supplies.”