In the Brexit dispute between London and Paris over fishing rights in the English Channel, the British government summoned the French ambassador to the Foreign Office.
The ambassador should explain the "disappointing and disproportionate threats against Great Britain and the Channel Islands" on Friday, said British Foreign Minister Liz Truss on Thursday evening.
France had previously arrested a British fishing boat for allegedly lacking licenses.
The fishing dispute has been simmering for a long time. The background to this is the question of how many foreign fishermen will be allowed to catch in British waters after Brexit. During the negotiations on the British trade pact with the EU, this was the most controversial issue, which at times seemed to make an agreement almost impossible. On the EU side, it was above all the French who were adamant - the issue has always been treated extremely emotionally and plays with age-old resentment against the other country.
On Wednesday evening, the French government announced that from November 2nd, British fishing boats would no longer be allowed to moor in certain French ports.
In addition, France will systematically check the safety of British boats in the future.
Trucks driving from France to Great Britain or in the opposite direction should therefore also be checked more closely.
Britain criticized the announcement.
Brexit Minister David Frost was disappointed.
The measures would very likely not be in line with international law or the Brexit Treaty.