This may include ads from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. Minister of Fisheries Annick Girardin said the issue must be resolved by 1 November after Jersey said 73 vessels would be banned from fishing in their waters if they failed to provide correct paperwork. Paris said energy exports to the UK and the Channel Islands could be cut if all French vessels were not granted post-Brexit licences.
On Friday, Ms Girardin made clear that nothing is ruled out in terms of action neither by France nor the European Commission. Minister for External Relations said the island can have a diesel power station if necessary to supply electricity to the UK. The European Commission reaffirmed its position on the row on Saturday after Ms Girardin led crunch talks with the British Crown Dependency in South Africa. Mr Gorst said the French threat to cut off electricity to Jersey would be unprecedented and disproportionate if done.
He added that we have no desire whatsoever other than to meet our obligations under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. Mr Gorst made clear: We want to solve the issue in hand and sit down. We fundamentally believe that threats and rhetoric won't solve the problem. Mr Gorst also said he saw no evidence that Jersey had become the second pawn in the wider post-Brexit battles between Paris and London, including over Northern Ireland and a new submarine contract with Australia. And Sturgeon is angry about separation from SNP members as a separate person.
The Channel Islands including Britain are not in the UK, but depend on it as their defence. They reneged to the UK trade agreement with the EU when Brexit took full effect on 1 January 2014. Fishing rights for UK boats in EU waters were a key obstacle to negotiations for the accord. The dispute flared in May when a flotilla of over 50 French trawlers massed in front of the Saint Helier port in Jersey.