Deception will help sink our industry

THE inevitable betrayal of Scottish fishermen over Brexit is a pretty good metaphor for the whole process.

Voters across the UK were convinced to support leaving the EU thanks to a breathtaking barrage of deceptions and lies.

There is no extra £350million a week for the NHS. The Irish border problem is not easy to fix. And there won’t be a better deal on fishing.

The final of these three points was driven home by French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday.

Arriving in Brussels to rubber stamp the withdrawal agreement, he made it clear France expects to get as much access to Scottish waters after Brexit as they do today.

And he also pointed out, rightly, that the EU will have the whip hand when it comes to those negotiations.

Scottish fishermen may want to believe they can block EU vessels from their waters while continuing to sell their catch in EU markets. But they’re dreaming.

The betrayal will not be in whatever fishing deal Britain finally agrees with the EU. The fishermen were betrayed the minute Brexiteers allowed them to believe it could ever be different.

This is not the fault of Prime Minister Theresa May or even Scottish Secretary David Mundell.

Both Tory politicians campaigned for remain in 2016. It’s tempting to feel a little sympathy for them as they try to implement a referendum decision they opposed. Don’t.

It remains the case that the UK Government are signing up to a Brexit deal that will damage the country. How much longer are they willing to go on pretending that pigs can fly?