Keir Starmer is trying to strengthen ties with the EU (Image: Getty)
Britain’s hard-won Brexit fishing freedoms must not be “frittered” away at the hands of the EU, MPs have insisted.
A row over fishing erupted this week when it was revealed that countries, including France, suggested wanting to tie a new post-Brexit security deal to more beneficial access to British waters.
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Tory MP Dr Neil Hudson said: “Our dedicated fishing industry does so much for our nation and food security, doing work that is often dangerous and they are true unsung heroes. The previous Government began the work of using our power as a sovereign coastal state to secure quotas with the EU through the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.”
“With a critical juncture close on the horizon with negotiations for fishing quotas after June 2026, it is crucial the Government builds on this progress with a proper plan to ensure our fishing industry gets the fair access to water and fish they rightly deserve. UK fishing must not be used as a bargaining chip by this Labour Government in their negotiations with Europe.”
MPs used a Westminster Hall debate on Wednesday ahead of upcoming negotiations with the EU on UK fishing quotas.
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The previous Conservative Government secured the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, which provided a transitory framework for fishing quotas for UK fishermen and women in EU waters until June 2026.
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After this date, negotiations between the European Union must take place each year to secure future quotas.
Liberal Democrat MP Andrew George, who secured the debate, said: “If we are to establish a sustainable fishing industry that is fair to UK fishermen, it is important that the industry is reviewed on its merits and on the basis of science, not on political horse-trading with other countries.”
Tory MP John Cooper said: “Britain’s status as an independent coastal state was hard won, and we must not allow our fleet to be dragged back into the ambit of the hated common fisheries policy. We cannot allow a linkage between fisheries and access to markets to be established.”
The Office for National Statistics says that fishing accounted for just 0.03% of the UK’s economic output in 2021.
But Mr Cooper added: “However, that does not capture the reality that a great many of our fragile coastal communities, not only in Scotland but across the UK, are entirely dependent on jobs in fishing’s at-sea component and its allied onshore processors.
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"If fishing were a trifling little homespun affair, why is the EU so interested in it?
“What Labour expects from this reset is opaque at best, but the EU—good protectionist that it is—has already drawn up an invoice, and top of its list is fishing. Amid warm words about security and co-operation between Britain and the EU, the French are keen to lock us out of the new ￡150 billion Euro defence fund, only to then show a bit of ankle on negotiations involving—quelle surprise!—fishing.
“Fishing is food security, as we have heard. It is a livelihood for many—not just for those who literally risk life and limb on the storm-tossed seas, but for those onshore. Fish and chips are as emblematic of this country as the bright fishing boats at quaysides from Kirkcudbright to Kirkwall and more. They must not be frittered away at the behest of an avaricious EU.”
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Environment minister Daniel Zeichner said: “As an independent coastal state, our approach to all negotiations has been driven by our domestic priorities, and sustainability is at the heart.
“We aim to set catch limits that take account of the best available scientific advice, but we will always back our British fishing industry and, through negotiations, push for the best possible opportunities for British vessels. That is a complicated set of trade-offs and negotiations.
“Many different parts of the sector come to me, quite rightly, to make their case, and they do it well, but we have to get the best deal for everybody.”