The UK Fisheries Minister has warned fishermen they “will have to wait a little bit longer” to hear if Keir Starmer will sell out the industry in exchange for a new trade deal with Brussels ahead of his upcoming Brexit summit.
Gordon and Buchan MP Harriet Cross questioned Daniel Zeichner MP amid reports of Keir Starmer giving the European Union greater access to UK fishing waters as part of a Brexit reset.
He is scheduled to host a UK-EU Summit on May 19 in London, with fishing concessions considered as a huge prize for the EU due to its disproportionate dependence on UK waters.
Ms Cross spoke of her concern at Labour’s motive ahead of the crunch talks later this month after a poll from the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation found nine out of 10 Scots believe the UK should definitively control which vessels fish in its waters.
At Westminster, during rural affairs questions, Ms Cross asked Mr Zeichner if Keir Starmer would start to “negotiate control away from UK waters” at the UK-EU summit, expressing fears over such a move.
In his response, the minister said: “I am afraid she will have to wait a little bit longer to hear the full details and outcomes of any negotiations.”
Following rural questions, Scottish Conservative MP for Gordon and Buchan Harriet Cross said: “Our fishermen shouldn’t have to wait to find out if their waters are being handed to the EU.
“This response will do little to ease the industry’s concerns who fear they are being used as a pawn by the Labour government in its negotiations with Brussels.
“The UK Labour Government should be seeking a better deal for Scottish fishermen, not a worse one that gives up more concessions to the EU.
“Scottish fishing fleets have had a far stronger voice in negotiations than when the UK was just one of 28 member states in the EU.
“That is why at the upcoming UK-EU summit, I am calling on Keir Starmer to protect UK waters by not handing access to EU fishing boats that could potentially decimate the livelihoods of our fishermen.”
