Ultimately, Britain will need to find a way to cooperate with its closest neighbours without resorting to gunboat diplomacy
When the UK and the EU finalised their trade deal last December, you could be forgiven for assuming that Boris Johnson had fulfilled his pledge to “get Brexit done”. But as events this week have proved, the process is far from over. An argument with France over fishing rights around the island of Jersey rapidly descended into threats, blockades and the government sending in the navy.
The current dispute rests on differing interpretations of one part of the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA), the trade deal that now governs economic relations between the UK and the EU. While Jersey is not part of the UK and was never within the EU, the TCA replaced the Bay of Granville agreement, which used to govern fishing rights in Jersey’s waters.
