France threatened to stop trade with Britain and increase customs controls if more licences are not granted to French fishermen to operate within UK waters.

The latest spat in the bitter row between the neighbours was sparked by licensing procedures for EU fishing boats wanting to operate in waters around Britain and the Channel Islands after Brexit.

The new measures would include ‘systematic customs and sanitary checks on products brought to France and a ban on landing seafood,’ government spokesman Gabriel Attal told reporters. 

France threatened to shut off electricity because it claimed Britain was ‘wiping its feet on the Brexit deal’. 

The rejection by Britain of dozens of French boats has angered the EU nation, as well the self-governing Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey which depend on London for defense and foreign affairs.

French customs inspections could slow down trade from and to the UK.

France has threatened to disrupt trade with Britain and step up customs checks unless more licences are granted to French fishermen to operate in UK waters (pictured: French fishermen in Boulogne-sur-Mer

France threatened to disrupt trade relations with Britain and intensify customs inspections if French fishermen are not granted more licenses to operate in UK waters. (pictured: French fishermen in Boulogne–sur–Mer).

French ports are also very important to British fishermen, as they provide a large portion of their catch.

Attal claimed that France was missing ‘almost 50%’ of the fishing licenses it has a right under the agreement on fishing between Britain and the European Union. This was in line with the December 2012 agreement on fishing between Britain, the European Union and France.

France will not allow Britain to leave the Brexit deal, he said.

The latest dispute over fishing is just one of a series of disputes between the neighbours that has sunk diplomatic relations to their lowest point in decades.

Paris was outraged by tensions over migration in September, after Britain secretly reached a deal to supply Australian nuclear submarines – at the expense French ones that had been approved in 2016.

Clement Beaune, French Europe Minister, stated that the measures could be increased over time.

The new measures would include 'systematic customs and sanitary checks on products brought to France and a ban on landing seafood,' government spokesman Gabriel Attal (pictured) told reporters

Gabriel Attal, a spokesperson for the government (pictured), said that the new measures would include’systematic duties and sanitary checks on products imported to France and a prohibition on landing seafood.

It’s a first set of measures. Either this first series leads to a dialogue regarding the licences then that’s great,’ he stated at a hearing in Senate.

“Or these measures fail to lead to the deal being executed and we will adopt other measures, including on electricity supply for example,” he added, echoing previous French threats of reducing electricity supplies to Jersey.

The post-Brexit agreement on fishing meant that EU fishermen who wanted to access British waters had to apply to for new licenses. If they could prove they had worked in British waters previously, they would be granted.

Nearly 1,700 EU boats have been granted licences to fish in waters that are part of Britain’s exclusive economic zone. This is the 12-200 nautical mile from the coast.

The dispute is over licenses to operate within Britain’s fish-rich territorial water, which lie 6-12 nautical mile from the coast. It also includes the waters near Jersey.

According to figures, 100 licences were issued by London to French boats for its territorial waters. 75 of these licenses were rejected.

Jersey has 111 permanent licences and 31 provisional licensures. 75 boats have been refused.

MailOnline reached out to HMRC for comment. 

Thierry Breton has branded Brexit a 'catastrophe' for Britain and blamed it for the UK's empty supermarket shelves, petrol crisis and truck driver shortage

Thierry Breton has called Brexit a catastrophe’ in Britain and blamed it with the UK’s empty supermarket shelves, petrol crisis, and truck driver shortage.

It comes after Thierry Bréton, a French politician and European Commission’s commissioner for internal markets, stated that Brexit was a real drama’ for the UK.

Breton said that he was shocked at the things that are happening on supermarket shelves. “Look at what is going on at the petrol pumps. Look at what’s happening with the shortages of doctors and nurses. Look at what’s happening with truck drivers. Look at what’s happening in construction.” Breton spoke to BFM TV.

“What is currently going on is a real drama.” 

Breton has often criticised the UK’s decision not to leave the EU. Last month, Breton warned that Brexit was’supposed’ to improve Britain’s global standing but said it has done ‘pretty substantially the opposite’. 

The EU Commissioner for Internal Market has also been involved in Brexit row over fishing rights and vaccine production, and has criticized the UK for its part in a submarine agreement with Australia. 

People wait in a queue to fill up with petrol at Asda in Greenwich, South East London, as Britain experiences a fuel crisis

As Britain faces a fuel shortage, people queue up to fill up their cars at Asda Greenwich in South East London. 

Supermarket shelves in the UK are left empty amid ongoing shortages as a result of a fuel crisis and truck driver shortage

Due to ongoing shortages of fuel and truck drivers shortages, supermarket shelves in the UK are empty.

“Consider that they claimed they could regain prosperity which meant that to some extent every EU national would have to be kicked out – at most a large portion – now they need to return, because nurses are missing. 

“There are 100,000 truck drivers who are missing…” It is what is, and we deplore that,” he said. 

Breton also stated that the UK has shown ‘bad faith” in dealings with fishing rights, but said that the EU was merely ‘used to this now’. 

He added that “200 permits have been issued, so it’s moving ahead.”    

France and ten other EU members have called for a common front against Britain over its handling of a row with Paris over post-Brexit fishing licences in its waters. Pictured: French fishermen empty a fishing net in the North Sea

France and ten EU members call for a common front against Britain regarding its handling of a row in Paris over post Brexit fishing licences in its waters. Pictured: A French fishing net is taken out by fishermen in the North Sea.

Breton made another foray in the Brexit rows in March. EU’s internal markets commissioner said that no AstraZeneca jabs were made on the continent and would be shipped across Channel until the company has fulfilled its obligations to Europe.

He stated that “there is nothing to bargain” between the UK’s EU and UK. 

It came after he boasted over blocking AstraZeneca doses from leaving Europe, claimed the continent had ‘plenty of vaccines available’ and said the EU would be able to offer one to every adult before the end of summer.

Breton stated to the FT that EU-made doses should be reserved for the bloc in order to make up the shortfall. He added: ‘If [AstraZeneca]Does more, we don’t have any issues, but as long it doesn’t deliver on its promise to us, the doses will remain in Europe – except Covax.

Sources from the UK Government at the time described his comments in disapproval and accused him of not respecting lawful contracts.

They claimed that the only way to beat the pandemic was to find a win-win solution.

Breton’s comments forced the EU’s former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to try to calm cross-Channel tensions by urging his colleagues to end the vaccine war.   

In another of Breton's foray's in the Brexit rows in April, the EU's internal market commissioner said 'zero' AstraZeneca jabs made on the continent would be shipped across the Channel until the company fulfilled its commitments to Europe

Breton also made another foray in the Brexit rows in March. The EU’s commissioner for internal market said that “zero” AstraZeneca jabs would be shipped across Channel to ensure the company fulfilled its obligations to Europe.

While in September, Breton also warned transatlantic ties were ‘broken’ after Australia scrapped a $40 billion submarine deal with France and negotiated a new agreement with Britain and the US. 

Breton stated that many European politicians and citizens felt a “growing feeling…that something is broken in our transatlantic relationships” after a series surprise announcements by the Biden administration.

Reporters in Washington at the time heard him say that ‘this feeling is unfortunately increasing’. “It’s wrong to assume it’s just because of the events last week. It’s so much more than that.