Lord Frost has been advised by the European Commission vice-president that Britain should “engage constructively” with France in the ongoing dispute over fishing licences.
Following a pre-arranged meeting to discuss the Northern Ireland Protocol, an EU spokesman said Maros Sefcovic used the tete-a-tete to tell Britain’s Brexit minister “all French vessels entitled to a licence should receive one”.
A UK government spokesperson said in response, Lord Frost had warned Mr Sefcovic France would be in breach of the Trade and Co-operation Agreement (TCA) if proposed sanctions to disrupt British fishing boats went ahead next week, and ministers could launch “dispute settlement proceedings” as a result.
It comes after the captain of the British scallop trawler still detained in France was summoned to appear in court on 11 August next year. The deputy prosecutor of Le Havre, where the boat is being kept, said its skipper was accused of operating in French territorial waters without a valid permit.
But Scottish seafood giant Macduff Shellfish, which owns the vessel, said all its activity was “entirely legal”.
Follow our live coverage below
