French authorities intercepted a British-flagged fishing boat on Saturday and detained its crew. The Francesca TO 80 was spotted in French waters 30 nautical miles – or 55 kilometres – off the island of Batz.
The boat was suspected of fishing in French waters without an appropriate licence and was escorted to Brest in the early hours of Sunday morning. Unlicensed fishing is an offence under the Rural and Maritime Fishing Code. Prosecutors have begun an investigation into the alleged incident and are yet to decide on any further action.
The trawler is registered to an address in Truro, Cornwall, according to media outlet Ouest France.
The incident took place some 48 hours before the UK and European Union reached a deal on agriculture and defence.
The agreement will remove bureaucratic hurdles governing the trade in food products, making it easier for British farmers to access the EU’s market.
As part of the deal, the UK has extended access to British waters for European trawlers for a further 12 years.
Boris Johnson, the UK Prime Minister who negotiated the original Brexit deal, launched a scathing attack on Keir Starmer, accusing him of kow-towing to Brussels.
In a social media post, he fumed: “Two-tier Keir is once again going back on his promises to the people of this country – by making us non-voting members of a two-tier European Union …
“Two-tier Keir is the orange ball-chewing manacled gimp of Brussels.
“He has sacrificed UK fishing interests, handing over our seas to be plundered again – when under the current Brexit agreement we are on the point of taking back full legal control, next year, of every fish in our waters …
“This deal is hopelessly one-sided. It combines the vassalage of Chequers with the surrenderism of Chagos.
“Starmer promised at the election that he would not go back on Brexit. He has broken that promise as he broke his promise on tax.”
The UK’s Prime Minister said the “landmark” deal would be good for the economy and for jobs, helping “to put more money in the pockets of working people”.
He said: “It gives us unprecedented access to the EU market, the best of any country outside of the EU or Efta, all while sticking to the red lines in our manifesto about not rejoining the single market, the customs union, and no return to freedom of movement.”
