IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

U.K. and France's naval standoff near Jersey 'resolved' for now, Prime Minister Johnson says

The standoff's seeming conclusion — at least for now — caps an escalating crisis that was part of a long-simmering dispute over fishing rights.
Get more newsLiveon

LONDON — A flotilla of French fishing trawlers that had gathered in the English Channel as part of a long-simmering dispute with the United Kingdom over fishing rights vacated the area, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Thursday evening, bringing an apparent end to the naval standoff between the two countries.

The French fishermen had sailed to a port on the British Channel island of Jersey to protest post-Brexit fishing rights. Tensions escalated as France deployed two maritime patrol boats to the waters, its navy said, after the British Navy dispatched two of its own vessels to the area late Wednesday.

But with the French mariners having left the port, Johnson tweeted that the "situation in Jersey has been resolved" and pledged that the U.K. "will always stand resolutely by the people of Jersey."

The prime minister's office said in a statement that the U.K. remains "on standby" in the event officials in Jersey request assistance again.

The standoff's seeming conclusion — at least for now — caps an escalating crisis.The French government had previously suggested it could cut power supplies to the island if its fishermen were not granted full access to U.K. fishing waters under post-Brexit trading terms.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Clément Beaune, the French secretary of state for European affairs, told AFP on Thursday that Paris will "not be intimidated" by the British.

The naval policing boats Athos and Themis were sent to the area to maintain order, said a spokesperson for the French maritime authorities.

On the other side of the Channel, Johnson gave his "unequivocal support" for the island after he spoke with Jersey officials about the prospect of a French blockade.

Johnson said the two Navy vessels would remain off Jersey as a "precautionary measure."

But some opponents accused Johnson, who spearheaded the campaign to lead Britain out of the European Union, of escalating the crisis and using the feud to score political points at a crucial moment domestically.

The story dominated newspaper front pages on Thursday, as voters headed to the polls in key local and regional elections across England, Scotland and Wales.

Several British newspapers featured large front-page headlines declaring "Boris sends gunboats to defend Jersey" and similar. The online version of the Daily Mail also tweeted out a comparison of the sizes of the British and French ships, boasting that the French had sent a patrol vessel "that's less than HALF the size of two Royal Navy warships."

Dimitri Rogoff, who heads a group of Normandy fishermen, told The Associated Press that about 50 boats joined Thursday morning's protest from French ports along the western Normandy coast.

He said the action was not an attempt to blockade the port but rather a peaceful method of voicing French anger.

"This isn't an act of war," Rogoff said. "It's an act of protest."

Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands with a population of 108,000, is geographically closer to France than Britain. It sits just 14 miles off the French coast and receives most of its electricity from France via undersea cables.

Jersey's government said the island had issued new fishing permits in accordance with the post-Brexit trade terms, which included new conditions for license-holders. According to an agreement with the E.U., French boat operators must now show a history of fishing in the area to receive a license to fish in Jersey's waters.

That angered French trawler crews and the French government, who said the new terms had been imposed unilaterally and without discussion, and that they placed unfair restrictions on French fishing vessels.

The E.U. appeared to back France in the dispute, saying that until further justifications had been provided by Britain, Jersey officials should not be attaching new conditions to the issuance of licenses.

"Full compliance with the TCA (Brexit trade deal) is essential in this process," said European Commission spokeswoman Vivian Loonela.

Jersey officials said they would meet representatives of the protesters to listen to their concerns.