UK PM’s office accuses France of issuing ‘another EU threat’ by blocking financial services deal to wrangle fisheries access

A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has accused Paris of issuing a fresh “EU threat,” following reports the French government is set to block a post-Brexit financial services deal over the fishing access dispute.

The latest war of words between London and Paris comes after it was reported that France is prepared to delay the agreement of the deal until Johnson capitulates to demands to give French fishermen more access to British waters.

Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the PM’s spokesperson declared that France’s actions are “another example of the EU issuing threats at any sign of difficulties,” while the UK attempts to take “a consistent, evidence-based approach to licensing EU vessels.”

The UK’s departure from the EU resulted in Britain’s financial-services sector losing the access previously granted under its membership of the bloc. While an agreement on post-Brexit relations on this matter has been agreed, it needs to be ratified by the 27 member states.

The continuing row between France and the UK over fisheries reached boiling point earlier this month when French fishing vessels attempted to blockade Jersey’s port of St Helier over licensing by the island’s authorities. In response, the UK dispatched two Royal Navy ships to patrol the island and repel French vessels.

The French government has not publicly threatened to block the agreement on financial services, but its spokesperson, Gabriel Attal, did not deny that Paris would delay ratifying it to secure a favorable outcome for its fishing industry.

Speaking on May 11, the European Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services, and the Capital Markets Union, Mairead McGuinness stated that, despite the dispute between France and the UK, “we will resume our equivalence assessments once the regulatory cooperation framework is in place.”

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