Fishermen ‘sold out’ by Brexit deal

THERESA May is facing a Brexit backlash from Conservative MPs over her “abject betrayal” of Britain’s fishermen, with rebels planning a fishing boat protest on the Thames.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of a 60-strong group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, is due to board a boat and throw fish into the river next to parliament in protest at the alleged “sell-out”.

A Brexit transition deal agreed with Brussels on Monday allows the EU to maintain control of Britain’s territorial waters until the end of 2020, which protesters described as a potential death sentence for the fishing fleet.

Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson joined the growing rebellion as she warned May that the 13 Tory MPs north of the border would oppose any Brexit deal that failed to deliver full control over fish stocks and vessel access.

Fishing is a totemic issue for the Tories, who won key coastal seats in Scotland and the west after making promises about using Brexit to protect the industry.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove has spoken passionately about his upbringing in Aberdeen, where he claimed his family’s fish-processing firm was destroyed by EU policies.

Last week, he joined forces with Davidson to say Britain must leave the Common Fisheries Policy on exiting the EU in March next year and rejected the EU’s demand for existing access to British waters in a future trade deal. – The Telegraph