John Swinney's poundshop Farage act is a price gladly worth paying

The fishing industry is not a large part of Scotland’s economy. Roughly two pence in every £10 generated here comes from sea fisheries. By anyone’s reckoning that seems out of proportion to the First Minister’s focus, and here’s the rub – the deal that John Swinney is rivalling Farage to oppose doesn’t even change the terms on which EU boats access our waters, it just extends the current rules into the next decade.

Furthermore, it comes with a £360 million UK-wide Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund to target assistance at coastal communities.

I am a realist, so I do not want to say that yesterday’s deal represents a change in season from the nationalist nuclear winter that has gripped Scotland and the rest of the UK for much of the past 15 years. But maybe it is a sign changes will come if we can focus on stuff that makes even small differences in real lives. It’s a tantalising prospect for anyone sick of the flags-with-everything diet.

The significance of this agreement extends well beyond fishing. It represents a broader shift from nationalist division towards practical governance — jobs, economic stability, and everyday living standards. Under Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the UK government has embraced pragmatic, results-driven policymaking, prioritising realistic solutions over divisive nationalism.

Without being revolutionary, the deal will have impact. It will make it easier to export and import food and drink, so lowering prices and increasing choice. The Tories’ flawed Brexit deal cut food exports by 21 per cent and imports by 7 per cent. Some sectors, including fishing, were hit particularly hard while others, such as Scotland’s seed potatoes, lost all their EU market. We have a chance to reverse those setbacks.

There will be other benefits. EU travel will become simpler with access to e-Gates for UK passport holders and pet passports will return. A youth mobility scheme is coming, expanding opportunities for young people.

Perhaps more important than even the economics is the new Security and Defence Partnership. This will strengthen all of Europe’s response to Vladimir Putin at a moment of extreme danger.

Faced with Russian imperialism the worst mistake would be to think we can, as in the past, rely on American guarantees or to hope to make ourselves so small on the international stage the big boys won’t notice us and leave us alone.

The Russian threat is not just an assault to our sovereignty, but also to liberty and our way of life. The reason Putin unites many on the far left and the hard right in admiration is his deep illiberalism. Demonstrating our willingness to resist is to make a stand over values as well as over borders.

The past ten months has not always been easy for Labour, but the record of real achievements is mounting up. If the price for that is Mr Swinney’s poundshop Farage act, I will gladly pay.

- Joani Reid is the Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven.