Let’s show Churchill spirit, urge fishermen

FISHERMEN yesterday urged the Government to take back full control over Britain’s catch grounds when we leave the EU.

They urged Theresa May to show “Churchill spirit” and not let the British fishing fleet be destroyed by her proposed two-year transition period after the March 29 2019 exit day.

The Government insisted its latest transition proposals would make the UK an independent coastal state outside the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, able to negotiate as “equal partners” with other countries.

But the fishing industry warned it would still leave them at the EU’s mercy.

The pro-Brexit Fishing for Leave group fears Britain will be stuck with EU quotas for how much fish boats can catch during the transition deal, including bans on throwing back excess catches, which it says could drive 60 per cent of the fleet into bankruptcy.

The UK draft states: “The EU and the UK shall agree...the fixing and allocation of fishing opportunities for any period to the end of the period”, before the EU holds its annual December fish quota-setting meeting, where non-member Britain will no longer have voting rights.

Fishing for Leave leader Alan Hastings said: “The EU are defending the interests of their 27 members. It’s time for Theresa May to show some Churchill spirit.”

A Government spokesman said: “We will sit alongside other coastal states as equal partners in annual quota negotiations. Likewise, for fish stocks that we only share with the EU, we will negotiate as equal partners to agree the total allowable catches of those shared stocks.”