Tory rebels threaten to scupper Brexit deal over fish

March 21, 2018

UK prime minister Theresa May is facing another political headache, after Eurosceptic Conservative and Democratic Unionist party politicians threatened to vote against a final Brexit withdrawal deal over plans to keep the UK in the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy until 2020.

MPs have written to Mrs May demanding that she reject the 21-month Brexit transition deal agreed by Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, and David Davis, the UK’s Brexit secretary, earlier this week.

On Monday, the British government prompted fury from the fishing industry after it accepted EU demands to keep British fisherman’s share of the “total catch” unchanged during the post-Brexit transition period.

In a letter sent on Wednesday, 13 Conservative MPs and one DUP MP responded that the concession was “completely unacceptable” and warned it would be “rejected by the House of Commons”.

“The effect of ending discards during this period without compensating measures will be a further disaster for the UK’s already shattered fishing fleet, particularly for the inshore fleet, further eroding prosperity in vulnerable coastal communities,” their letter said.

“These demands are completely unacceptable and would be rejected by the House of Commons.”

Conservative MPs Jacob Rees-Mogg, centre, Craig Mackinlay and Anne-Marie-Trevelyan at Embankment Pier on the Thames on Wednesday ahead of the protest © PA

Jacob Rees-Mogg, head of the European Reform Group, and Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, were among the signatories.

The letter came on the same day as a fish-flinging protest on the Thames descended into farce.

Mr Rees-Mogg, who has said the UK risks becoming a “joke nation” without a more muscular response to EU demands, led the stunt on Wednesday morning with a press conference, in which he said the decision to maintain EU fishing quotas during transition was a “mistake”.

Fish are thrown from the Holladays R8 during the protest on Wednesday © AFP

However, he and other Tory MPs were unable to board fishing boat Holladays R8 at Embankment Pier, as the vessel had failed to request permission to land from Transport for London. He had already denied he personally was planning to throw fish from the boat.

Instead, Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader who is now a radio presenter, later boarded the boat at Westminster Pier.

On board, Mr Farage enthusiastically threw two crates of dead haddock into the river Thames as he lampooned the government for not having the “guts” to stand up to the EU.

The fishing industry had hoped for the immediate renegotiation of fishing quotas and access for EU vessels in British waters from March 2019, when the UK will leave the bloc. Instead, the UK government accepted this week that British fishermen will not enjoy a larger share of the fish available to be caught in domestic waters during the post-Brexit transition.

Michael Gove, environment secretary, had pushed for more UK control on quota setting. He said on Tuesday that he was “disappointed” with the deal, but that MPs should keep their “eyes on the prize” of taking back control of British waters after transition.

The British fishing industry contributes less than 0.05 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Mrs May’s official spokesman said on Wednesday: “The European Commission has been clear, as has the European Council, that getting a deal is in the interests of not only the UK but businesses and people across the EU.”

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