Fishing rights ‘weaponised’ by French in defence talks

FRANCE has “weaponised” fishing rights in response to UK efforts to boost Europe's collective defence, according to a Conservative former leader.

- RICHARD WHEELER AND RHIANNON JAMES

Sir Iain Duncan Smith, inset, acknowledged that Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is “showing some leadership’ over Ukraine and in trying to “galvanise” others.

But the former cabinet minister took aim at the French amid reports that a row over fish quotas emerged during talks over a UK-European Union security deal.

Sir Iain, the MP for Chingford and Woodford Green, told the House of Commons: “When (Sir Keir) got involved in how Europe should form a coalition of the willing and how he wanted to drive that further forward and to get some kind of agreement on it, what did France say immediately?

“France just said, ‘No, before you give us access to the fishing; that’s it. In what world did fishing have anything to do with defence and yet they weaponised fishing to block off the UK in, I think, a generous position to say that they want to galvanise Europe to do more.