Boris Johnson's Brexit deal betrayed the fishing industry. Here's what Labour should do instead
Fishing is an industry where it helps to have a long memory. Tory Prime Minister Ted Heath’s decision to treat fishermen as “expendable” in the 1970s is still fresh in the minds of fishing communities. The blundering, blustering intervention of Boris Johnson in the Brexit talks of 2020 is quickly acquiring the same reputation.
Now, renewed negotiations over the future fisheries settlement with the EU under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) are fast approaching. The deal that Labour strikes will define the future of our fishing industry – and make or break Keir Starmer’s legacy within coastal communities.
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Hide AdThat’s why I led the first Commons backbench business debate on fishing of this new parliament, to set out the challenges and opportunities faced by the industry in the here-and-now – and to challenge ministers on how they will repair the harm caused by the last government.


Johnson’s worthless ‘wins’
Fisheries was the most obvious industry to expect a win from our departure from the EU (indeed perhaps the only one). It really takes something to do worse than the Common Fisheries Policy. Somehow, however, we found ourselves with a deal that the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation described at the time as “the worst of both worlds”.
That happened because, in Boris Johnson, we had a leader who had neither the eye for detail nor the will to deliver that was required. He blundered in at the 11th hour, tossed aside the detailed plans of officials and boasted of “wins” that were worthless to anyone with any knowledge of the industry. Fishing communities which had been promised a “sea of opportunity” for years were left feeling utterly betrayed.
Now is the time to repair the damage. We have just months now – weeks even – to prepare for the TCA renegotiation on fisheries. There really is no time to waste. We know that the EU sees this as a priority and wants to kickstart discussions in early 2025. The government must see it as a priority as well, and act accordingly.
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Hide AdA threat, an opportunity
It will take political will from the government to win back the ground that was lost by Boris Johnson but fishing communities expect positive change to be delivered. The asks from fishermen are far from extravagant – in particular, a more proportional quota allocation for commercially valued stocks and protection for inshore fishing rights. Above all, they want to end the last government’s habit of using fishing rights as a bargaining chip for other priorities.
For fishing communities, this is a moment of both threat and opportunity. Get things wrong now and spatial squeeze on the seabed, restrictive policies and curtailed opportunities could see our coastal communities wither on the vine.
Get things right, however, and we can set in motion a virtuous circle of positive energy, new hands getting into the industry, and stable, successful coastal communities.
The fishing industry has a great story to tell. It is rooted in the island and coastal communities that define our country. This new government has the chance to be part of that story and close the sorry chapter of missed opportunities.
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Hide AdThere are long memories in the fishing industry. If the government has the will to deliver on their priorities, it will be remembered for a long time.
Alistair Carmichael is the Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland
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