Liz Truss has tipped Briton to build new trade routes to Europe with the likes of Holland in order to cut out dependency on French ports amid the growing row over fishing arrangments post-Brexit with Paris. The Foreign Secretary explained on Sky News that events in the Channel had shown the importance of the UK diversifying trade and exports. It comes after French authorities impounded a British trawler at the port of Le Havre in Northern France.

       Sky News presenter Kay Burley pressed: "We're also looking at other ports in Holland in the Netherlands and Belgium to try and open up trade routes.

       "So that we don't need to worry about Le Havre etc."

       "In general, it's important for the United Kingdom to diversify our trade and not become dependent on a single source of imports, or indeed a single destination for export.

       "So I fully support diversifying our trade and making sure we've got options because that puts us in a stronger position," replied Ms Truss.

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       Asked what was motivating the French actions on fishing, Ms Truss told Sky News: "You might say there's a French election coming up.

       "You might say that there are various other issues of concern.

       "What I would say to the French is that we are fellow freedom-loving democracies.

       "We should not be fighting with each other, we should be focusing our efforts on working together."

       Ms Truss told Sky News: "The French have made completely unreasonable threats, including to the Channel Islands and to our fishing industry, and they need to withdraw those threats.

       "Or else we will use the mechanisms of our trade agreement with the EU to take action"

       Sky News host Kay Burley questioned: "So what does that mean?

       "What that means is that we will use the dispute resolution mechanism, which could lead to taking direct action in trade," replied the Foreign Secretary.

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       "What looking at the resolution mechanism...the French have behaved unfairly.

       "It's not within the terms of the trade, if somebody behaves unfairly in a trade deal you are entitled to take action against them and seek some compensatory measures.

       "And that is what we will do, if the French don't back down."

       "Stop threatening UK fishing vessels stop threatening the channel ports and accept we are entirely within our rights to allocate the fishing licences in line with the trade agreement as we have done," added Ms Truss.