French MP Bruno Bonnell says British prime minister is ‘continuously pretending that Brexit will have no impact, no effect, on the UK lifestyle’
- Eustice: France backed down in fishing row when it ‘looked at evidence’
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No 10 has also had to row back after an apparent gaffe by Eustice; the minister sent out to bat for the government this morning. He claimed the impounded Cornelis Gert Jan, which is at the centre of the diplomatic row, has now been released.
I understand that vessel has now been released and I think there’s going to need to be some further discussions, clearly there was an administrative error at some point. We haven’t quite got to the bottom of that but that vessel I understand has been released.
The vessel concerned remains in port having been detained by the French authorities but given it’s an ongoing legal process I am restricted in anything I can say further.
We welcome the fact that France has stepped back from threats they’ve made and we welcome France’s acknowledgement that in-depth discussions are needed to resolve a range of difficulties between the UK and EU relationship.
We want to find consensual solutions together if we can and Lord Frost has accepted Clément Beaune’s invitation and looks forward to discussions in Paris on Thursday. They will be discussing issues including fisheries and the Northern Ireland protocol.
We welcome the fact France has stepped back from the threats it was making last Wednesday.
We’ve always said we want to deescalate this and always said we have an ever-open door to discuss any further evidence France or the EU might have on any additional vessels they’d like to have licensed.
