UK summons French ambassador as fishing rights row escalates

Two Royal Navy vessels put in high readiness' to tackle potential port blockades

France's ambassador in London was summoned and two Royal Navy patrol vessels were put on a state of high readiness" to tackle potential port blockades by French fishing boats as the row over post-Brexit access to British waters escalated.

The dramatic moves followed French threats to clog British exports in red tape over a lack of fishing licences for their fishing vessels and inflammatory claims that Downing Street had made a political choice" to damage the country's coastal communities.