The Tories have questioned whether Labour is “deliberately snubbing” British fishermen
Labour urged to protect farmers in fresh UK-EU deal (Image: Getty)
Britain’s fishermen have been sold out by a Labour Government that talks tough about standing up for British interests but folds the moment Brussels comes calling.
The latest leaked draft of the UK-EU summit statement exposes the scale of that betrayal. Labour is welcoming full reciprocal access for EU fishing vessels in British waters until June 2038. Twelve more years of foreign boats fishing in our waters, with British fishermen left wondering what they got in return.
And the detail in the leaked draft could hardly be more damning. In the very same document, the Government acknowledges that Celtic Sea fisheries are suffering a “drastic downward trend”, threatening the livelihoods of fishermen and the future of coastal communities.
So let’s get this straight. Labour have signed away access to our waters for more than a decade, while admitting the fish stocks those waters sustain are in serious decline. Yet there is no clear recovery plan, no guarantee of a fairer quota share, no mechanism to reconsider access before 2038, and no meaningful new support for the communities bearing the cost.
It’s hard to tell if this is sheer incompetence or a deliberate snub to British fishermen.
Eighteen months after the first summit, arrangements for mackerel, blue whiting, and herring remain unresolved. The draft offers little more than a vague call for “substantial progress”. But British fishermen cannot pay their bills with diplomatic platitudes.
And combined with the fuel crisis pushing viable, profitable fishing businesses to the brink, this news could hardly come at a worse time.
While British fishermen struggle with soaring costs, EU competitors are receiving government-backed fuel support — leaving a bitter spectacle of subsidised foreign vessels fishing in British waters while our own boats are tied up in port.
Andy Burnham must explain where he stands. He has spent years presenting himself as the champion of northern communities and working people. So will he stand up for our fishing communities and condemn his own party’s sell-out?
Labour must realise that the British fishing industry is not a bargaining chip. It is an industry, a heritage, and the backbone of communities that have sustained generations.
Conservatives believe British waters should work for British fishermen. That means fighting for fair quotas, sustainable stocks, proper enforcement, and a credible long-term future for our coastal towns.
Labour has chosen Brussels over our fishermen, and Burnham must come clean about what else he plans to sacrifice in his political vanity project to drag us back into the EU.