The Royal Navy assisting French forces in the capture of a Russian oil tanker linked to Moscow's so-called shadow fleet, while sanctioned vessels continue to pass through UK waters unchallenged, has been branded 'deterrence in reverse' by a Conservative MP.
During Defence Questions, Shadow Defence Whip David Reed also added that concerns over the breach of maritime law seem to weigh more heavily on the UK than some of its allies.
It comes just days after French President Emmanuel Macron revealed the French Navy – with UK support – intercepted the Tagor, which had been suspected of operating under a false flag some 400 nautical miles west of Brittany.
In a post on X, accompanied by a video showing commandos rappelling from helicopters onto the tanker, President Macron said: "It is unacceptable for ships to circumvent international sanctions, violate the law of the sea, and fund the war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than 4 years."
The Ministry of Defence said that a helicopter from onboard HMS Somerset provided tracking and monitoring in support of the French Navy before they boarded the vessel.
'Tough rhetoric, no action'
It marks the fourth time France has boarded ships suspected of belonging to Russia's so-called shadow fleet. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer granted British forces and law enforcement officers permission to stop, board, and detain sanctioned vessels back in March, this has so far been limited to a supporting role.
Since that announcement, at least 205 sanctioned tankers have sailed through the UK's 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), according to data by Starboard Maritime Intelligence.
Taking aim at Defence Secretary John Healey, Mr Reed, a former Royal Marine, said: "France once again demonstrated that seizing sanctioned Russian shadow fleet vessels in international waters is both legal and achievable."
He added that despite permissions being granted, hundreds of vessels had passed through UK waters unchallenged.
Describing it as 'deterrence in reverse', he added: "tough rhetoric, no action."
He continued: "In Moscow, that gap between what Britain says and what Britain does will be read as exactly one thing: weakness."
Mr Healey was quick to refute those statements, describing the UK's support in the recent French-led capture of the Tagor as 'deterrence in action'.
He was conclusive in his assertion that "defence stands ready to lead our own interdiction."
"The impact of what we are ready to do and what we have signalled to Putin is that he's having to escort shadow shipping through the English Channel with Russian warships, and the rest of his shadow fleet are often detouring right round the UK," he said.
Mr Healey added: "We are contributing to the fact that Russian oil revenues have fallen by a quarter in the last year."
In response, Mr Reed said there is a clear difference between supporting and leading, and that this gap has been widened by Attorney General Lord Richard Hermer KC's hesitation to act.
Lord Hermer had advised the Prime Minister that the tankers could be boarded by National Crime Agency (NCA) officers and special forces.
"Our allies in Finland, in Sweden, and Estonia have no such hesitation. France and the United States have no such hesitation," he said.
"Can the secretary of state explain why the only person who seems determined to tie Britain's hands is his own government's chief legal officer?"
Mr Healey highlighted a meeting of 10 nations in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) that he had attended with the attorney general, where a legal framework for intercepting and seizing Russian shadow fleet vessels was set out and discussed.
"We are ready to do so as the UK. We are ready to do so in support of allies, as we have just done with France, and together we're deterring Putin, and we're disrupting his shadow fleet operations," he said.
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