Sometimes it’s about migration, then about defense projects, and currently there are wild threats in the dispute over fishing licenses. The quarrel between Britain and France does not seem to be ending.
Some threaten to cut the electricity supply, while others are stubborn when it comes to fishing, and politicians on both sides cover themselves with accusations and warnings. The air between Great Britain and France is thick.
“I can’t remember the relationship being that bad,” says British political scientist Georgina Wright from the Montaigne Institute in Paris. Brexit has exacerbated the historically difficult connection across the English Channel.
“They’re crazy, the British” can be heard often in Paris, sometimes quite openly. In return, British conservative papers denigrated French President Emmanuel Macron as a would-be Napoleon. “Because the Brexit negotiations were so politicized, so poisoned, they had an impact on bilateral relations,” Wright told the German press agency. Even on a personal level, things are not going well. Boris Johnson recently made fun of the French: “Donnez-moi un break”, the British Prime Minister gibbered in front of the cameras – give me a break.
Macron and Johnson seemed to get along, Wright says. “But that is not enough in diplomatic and even more so in bilateral relations.” The sound makes the music – that’s on both sides, as the expert has observed. London is shocked by statements from Macron confidante Clément Beaune. The State Secretary for Europe recently threatened openly with “retaliatory measures”.
Dispute over fishing rights
Specifically, it concerns licenses to French fishermen for the waters around Jersey. The French insist on more, the Channel Island authorities emphasize that they adhere to regulations. Beaune warned in the British Financial Times that Paris could turn off the power to the island. France provides around 2.5 percent of the UK’s energy needs. The dispute had already escalated in June: French boats blocked the port of Jersey, London sent ships of the navy, Paris followed suit. The conflict is still smoldering.
Another construction site: migrants illegally entering the UK via the English Channel – more than 18 ,00 in 2021. France must do more to counteract it, urges Great Britain, which is striving for a tougher migration course, and has pledged millions in aid to France. Where’s the money, said France’s Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin recently, saying that Britain should take steps to make it less attractive to illegal immigrants.
Natacha Bouchart, the mayor of Calais, where thousands of migrants are waiting to cross, accused the British of promoting illegal employment, which attracts refugees. The British were “cynical, hypocritical and incompetent,” she added.
At the military level, too, there is a hitch between the two nuclear and UN veto powers, both of which are striving for the military leadership role in Western Europe. There are delays in a joint project to develop anti-ship and cruise missiles. “It is undoubtedly a program that is in difficulty given the state of our relations with the UK. We are currently considering what we can and cannot do with the British, “said Defense Minister Florence Parly in the National Assembly in Paris.
Submarine crisis
The trigger for the cool words was Britain’s participation in the secret nuclear submarine deal with Australia and the USA, which was disembarking France. Paris reacted completely angry. But the fact that President Macron called his ambassadors back from Washington and Canberra, but not from London, was angry again in the British capital. You felt ignored.
Much more serious: “The trust is very, very low,” says political scientist Wright. “France not only distrusts the United Kingdom, it also does not consider the country particularly trustworthy.” This is also due to the person Boris Johnson, like Peter Ricketts, British ambassador in Paris until his retirement in 2016, who says “FT”. “The French have come to the conclusion that he is not trustworthy and not a serious person.”
There is hardly any improvement in sight. The new Brexit dispute over the Northern Ireland regulation is likely to increase tensions. In terms of relationships, the question arises, what is it now, between France and Great Britain, more hate or love? Expert Wright is clear: “Love-hate”.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
