By Elizabeth Piper

ROME, (Reuters) – Boris Johnson the British Prime Minister said that he would not rule out triggering trade action against France next Tuesday in a post Brexit row about fishing. The dispute could potentially disrupt the flow and supply of goods.

Johnson is the host of next week’s U.N. Climate Summit. He said that he didn’t want the fish spat to ruin a meeting between the 20 largest economies in the world, which was meant to be a stepstone to secure additional commitments at COP26 in Glasgow.

Johnson sought to diffuse the conflict after Johnson saw an earlier British-hosted G7 meeting being overshadowed in part by disagreements with the European Union about post-Brexit issues with sausages moving to Northern Ireland.

France’s ties with Britain have been growing more difficult since Britain voted in 2016 to leave EU. London’s security deal with Australia and the United States does little to strengthen trust with Paris. French President Emmanuel Macron questioned Britain’s credibility.

The long-running Brexit discussions have been held up by fishing. While neither country is economically vital, this row has huge political implications for both countries. A resolution could see the start of disputes in the Brexit trade agreement.

Johnson said that if there’s a violation of the treaty, or we believe there is, then we will protect British interests,” he told Sky News in Rome as he attends the G20 Leaders Meeting.

Johnson answered the question “No, of course not. I don’t rule it out.”

“But I think everyone would like to see collaboration between European allies. French President Emmanuel Macron, and I have a shared perspective that is that climate change has been a tragedy for humanity and we have the tools and the means to address it.”

This would involve a panel of arbitrators convening to determine the dispute. If the arbitration panel is not successful, it could lead to a claim for damages or suspensions under the free-trade agreement.

Johnson and his group are trying to keep the controversy from dominating efforts at G20 this weekend, to create a consensus for countries to do more to combat climate change.

The purpose of COP26 was to improve the implementation of 2015 Paris Agreement. It committed signatories that global warming would be kept below 2°C above preindustrial levels and, preferably, to less than 1.5°C.

Asked by the BBC whether he still rated chances of success in Glasgow as six out of 10 as he did in September, Johnson said: “I’d say they’re about the same.”

“What we must do is ensure that world leaders meet at the COP summit next Wednesday and make all the required commitments.”