Boris Johnson reportedly floats idea of giant English Channel bridge, France says no

France on Friday politely rejected British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's idea of building a giant bridge across the English Channel after Brexit, saying that, while far-fetched ideas were worth considering, there were plenty of major European projects to finish first.

Johnson, who led the campaign to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, broached the idea of building a 35-kilometre channel bridge during a visit to Britain by French President Emmanuel Macron, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Britain's most prominent Brexiteer even explained some of his ideas on channel crossings to Macron, who gave a short but positive reply, the newspaper reported.

France's finance minister, though, gave the idea short shrift.

"All ideas merit consideration, even the most far-fetched ones," Bruno Le Maire said, noting that the Channel Tunnel already links Europe's second- and third-largest economies.

"We have major European infrastructure projects that are complicated to finance," Le Maire told Europe 1 radio. "Let's finish things that already underway before thinking of new ones."

Prime Minister Theresa May's appointment of Johnson, who in the run-up to Britain's referendum on EU membership compared the goals of the EU to those of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon, caused consternation in European capitals.

It took two centuries for Britain to countenance the construction of the Channel Tunnel, which French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte once suggested, though the land link has repeatedly been the focus of concerns about illegal immigration.

Brexit bridge

"Our economic success depends on good infrastructure and good connections. Should the Channel Tunnel be just a first step?" Johnson tweeted.

Johnson did not mention the idea of a bridge explicitly in public and it was unclear if any detailed discussions had taken place.

The Telegraph said Johnson believed a privately funded 35-kilometre bridge might now be an option, and would support increased tourism and trade after Brexit.

"Technology is moving on all the time and there are much longer bridges elsewhere," Johnson told his aides, according to the newspaper.

But May's office said there were no specific plans for a cross-channel bridge.

It was unclear how such a structure might work in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, or whether its construction might interrupt trade.

"It's good to have vision, particularly with respect to infrastructure projects, but the Dover Strait is the world's busiest shipping lane with many, many hundreds of vessel transits per day," said Guy Platten, CEO of the UK Chamber of Shipping.

"Building a 22-mile-long bridge across the channel would therefore not be without its challenges, especially as the largest ships currently transiting the strait have a height above the water line in excess of 60 metres."