‘Hardly calm response’ GB News’s Alastair Stewart in heated fishing clash with Macron ally
GB News: Alastair Stewart in heated fishing clash with Macron ally
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GB News host Alastair Stewart raged at French politician Bruno Bonnell on how France is handling the post-Brexit fishing relationship. This comes after a UK boat was captured and confiscated by the French for fishing in their waters. Mr Stewart argued this was not a calm or reasonable way to respond to ongoing fishing problems between the UK and France.
Mr Bonnell said: “It is actually a real mess.
“To be fair, after 10 months of endless negotiations where we have been trying to be wide and fair and nice, we still have 50 percent of the French fishermen with pending licences.
“That is why tensions really grew.
“A way to show that we are serious about respecting the Brexit treaty was to show that we have ways to mitigate.”
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The GB News host interrupted to condemn the French for their actions against the UK fishermen.
He said: “Arresting a fisherman and charging him and saying he has to appear in court in August and towing fishing boats into port and threatening to block lorries?
“That is hardly a calm and considered response from France.”
Mr Bonnell continued: “As I said, this is 10 months of negotiation.
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“The diplomatic language means putting your stick in the ground and waiting for people to sit around the table.
“Emmanuel Macron and Boris Johnson will meet very soon, I hope, to find a more flexible way to resolve this issue.”
Mr Stewart also questioned whether President Macron was taking this hard stance in order to win votes.
He said: “Tell me this, in the UK if there is an election coming up, for the right-wing to say we will send a gunboat over to sort this out, it is quite a vote winner.
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“Is that the same in France, where Mr Macron is basically already sending out the border controls, towing boats, and arresting people?
“It is all a bit of posturing before the election in May, isn’t it Bruno?
Mr Bonnell replied: “I don’t think he is posturing for the election.
“May is very far away and it is the first of many trade discussions to happen.
“I would rather say it is the posturing before the negotiations to show that we are serious.”
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