Scottish Secretary Ian Murray reckons the UK-EU trade deal will give fishermen “12 years of certainty and stability,” following Prime Minister’s praise for the agreement as a “win-win.” British fishermen aren’t happy with Sir Keir Starmer’s deal, with the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF) calling it a “horror show.” Murray defended the deal on BBC Radio Scotland, saying, “I don’t really agree with that. It provides 12 years of stability and security for the industry, keeping intact the 2019 deal that gave UK and Scottish trawlers 25% more quotas. It also opens up new EU markets, cutting through all that red tape. No more fish will be taken out of Scottish waters by EU trawlers under this deal, ensuring stability and certainty.”
Dealing with the fallout, Murray dismissed claims from the Scottish Government that they were left out of the loop, stating, “The Scottish Government has been in the know every step of the way. The Paymaster General leading the negotiations kept them fully informed, with briefings and updates as negotiations progressed.” On the other hand, Scottish External Affairs Secretary Angus Robertson expressed disappointment to MSPs, “The fact that this agreement, especially concerning fisheries, was reached without the devolved governments’ input on the details is not just disrespectful to devolution, but also jeopardizes the benefits for the people of Scotland.” Labour’s Neil Bibby took a swipe, “While the UK Government is focused on rebuilding our economy, the SNP seem to be all over the place on this issue, aligning themselves against this deal alongside Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch.”
Not really sure why this matters, but it seems like there’s a lot of back and forth regarding the UK-EU trade deal and its implications for fishermen. The mixed reactions from different parties highlight the complexity of the situation and the varying interests at play. It’s clear that there are disagreements on how the deal will impact the fishing industry, with some seeing it as a positive step towards stability and others viewing it as a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel like there’s more to this story than meets the eye, and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds in the coming days.
