The government of Jersey has issued nearly 50 additional licences to French boats to fish in its waters, in an apparent effort to stave off threats of sanctions from Paris.
It comes after Britain earlier threatened to sue France within 48 hours over fishing rights, with Lizz Truss, the foreign secretary, saying London “will not roll over” in the ongoing war of words with Paris.
The 49 temporary permits issued by Jersey today come on top of 66 permanent licences awarded last week, bringing to 162 the total number of French vessels allowed to fish in the area post-Brexit. However, it is unclear whether the move will be enough to stop the imposition of measures threatened by Paris, such as blocking British boats from French ports.
Elsewhere, a bus was hijacked earlier by armed, masked men and set alight in a predominantly unionist area of Newtownards in Northern Ireland. DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson responded by saying he will not be distracted by “thugs and hoods” in his efforts to get the Northern Ireland Protocol removed.
