Gone Fishing
“Some sections of Scotland’s fishing industry have accused Sir Keir Starmer’s government of “capitulating” to the EU over a deal on access to UK waters.
Labour ministers have agreed a 12-year deal which extends existing access for EU boats in exchange for reduced checks and restrictions on food exports.
The agreement, which also includes a defence and security pact, has been described as “disastrous” by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF).”
EU deal disastrous for Scotland, says fishing body
This is the marine equivalent of Grangemouth, key Scottish assets given away by Westminster, this time in a grubby deal to try and offset the worst aspects of Brexit, something Scotland rejected overwhelmingly in the referendum. The Labour Government’s task is to figure out how to replicate all of the benefits of being part of Europe, without admitting that the Brexit fiasco is what it is.
Fishing is strategically more important to Scotland than anywhere else in the UK. It is fully devolved. Seafood is Scotland’s second-largest export and was worth approximately £6 billion in 2017.
Scotland’s seas make up over 60 per cent of the UK’s total waters. Landings by Scottish vessels accounted for 60 per cent of the total value and 62 per cent of the tonnage of all landings by UK vessels in 2019. Scottish Fisheries Protection vessels are under the control of the Scottish Government.
Yet Scotland was completely excluded from any discussions. The UK Government has just reached a 12-year deal on the devolved issue of fishing without any involvement or approval of the Scottish, Welsh or Northern Irish governments. In fact, according to Angus Robertson, “It follows the cancellation of last three EFRA inter-ministerial meetings by UK government.”
So much for being Scotland “back at the beating heart of the UK government”?
Scotland is back at the beating heart of my government. pic.twitter.com/utgoXm5r4r
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) July 7, 2024
This goes to show, as we have said repeatedly, not only that Brexit is incompatible with Devolution, but that Labour’s story that somehow Ian Murray and Anas Sarwar are ‘standing up for Scotland’ is a travesty.
Meanwhile the Scottish Seafood Association (SSA) has hit out at the Labour government’s new deal with the EU over fishing rights, claiming it leaves the country’s seafood sector “reeling and disillusioned”.
Jimmy Buchan, CEO of the Scottish Seafood Association, said: “This is not just a failure of negotiation – it is a failure of understanding, leadership, and accountability.
“Our industry has endured hardship with the belief that control of our waters would lead to prosperity. Instead, the UK government has once again given away access to our marine resources with no meaningful return.”
This is a crisis of devolution as big and important as the sell-out of Grangemouth. The question is what will the Scottish Government do about it?
We are supported only by our readers. We don't have corporate backers and we don't take advertising, so we rely entirely on your support.
Help to support independent Scottish journalism
The EU grab of British and Irish fishing grounds has always been an outrageous scam.
It’s weird to watch how Europhiles defend the EU, without acknowledging how scummy it can be.
The Common Fisheries Policy was a scam which exploited EU procedure to impose a manifest injustice. Basically, the EEC 6 saw the impending membership of 4 countries with huge maritime territory (Denmark, Ireland, Norway, UK) and decided to impose a regime which made territorial fisheries an EEC shared asset. They then cited the principle of acquis communitaire to block any challenge by the aspiring new members. Outrageous.
Now they have insisted on the UK basically restoring CFP-style access to the EU27. The UK lacks the muscle to resist this grab now, and if an independent Scotland seeks to rejoin the EU it will be required to accept
the CFP.
Denouncing this grab shouldn’t be left to the swifel-eyed Brexiteers.
‘ The question is what will the Scottish Government do about it?’ Nowt is my guess, England not content with stealing Scotlands resources, now they’re giving them away to foreigners!
I think we need to see the paper trail for this latest disaster. Angus Robertson says he requasted information and briefing papers last week? But Starmer’s public wooing of the EU goes back months. There could be no question that Scotland’s marine waters would be on any list for discussion. As you point out here, the devolved government is responsible for 60% of the UK’s marine estate. Carelessly irresponsible, it would seem.
The West Coast shell industry will benefit from the SPS agreement I think?
Scotland’s system of national governance needs to be able to respond to situations like this and implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) by a majority of Holyrood MSPs would do just that. It would provide access for each and every Scottish citizen (in other words Scottish fishing industry employees…) to his and her UN-defined Human Rights: direct Political Rights – Initiatives and Referendums (Direct Democracy – ICCPR Art 25) and Self-Determination (ICCPR Art. 1).
This is what Petition PE2135, currently being considered by parliament’s petititions committee, is all about: https://petitions.parliament.scot/petitions/PE2135.
We’re currently at 6,793 signatures but MSPs are still ignoring us. The Directorate for Constitution (i.e. the UK Civil Service)and Angus Robertson (Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution) are avoiding our questions (and that’s putting it politely…). This is the moment at which the Scottish People need to tell the politicians who’s boss.
Why doesn’t everyone in the entire Scottish Fishing Industry sign the petition ? This is a direct appeal to to Mr. Jimmy Buchan – please feel free to contact me if I can provide you with any further information.
Henry Ferguson (Petitioner for PE2135: [email protected])
What can the Scottish government do about it?
Power devolved is power retained.
Implementation of ICCPR is within the power of the Scottish Parliament (Scotland Act 1998 Art 30 & Schedule 5). ICCPR was ratified by UK in 1976 but never implemented. Overriding the Scotland Act would be equivalent to withdrawing from a ratified international treaty which Westminster could certainly do but which would lead to a major loss of international credibilty of the UK. Why don’t MSPs just go ahead and implement ICCPR thereby challenging the UK to withdraw from an international treaty ?
Worth a try, but I don’t think that the UK would be too bothered by anything arising from such a ‘relatively minor’ issue.
You won’t know until you try….
Agreed.
The “relatively minor issue” happens to have been highlighted by the Scottish Human Rights Commission in formal reports , since its inception, and the UN Human Rights Committee has been recommending that the UK implement ICCPR since at least 2020 – if not earlier. And MSPs have done strictly nothing although they clearly have all the power. Confirmed by SPICe, the parliamentary research service.
Angus Robertson is in violation of Art. 1.7 the Ministerial Code by not implementing an international treaty and the First MInister is complicit because he’s been copied on my various e-mails on the subject.
Interesting, one has to wonder why there is such inertia within scotgov on the issue.
Keep up the quest!
What’s even more interesting is that the parliamentary committee concerned – the Citizen Participation and Public Petitions Committee (CPPPC) was fed biased information which the Convener, Jackson Carlaw, communicated to members at its meeting on 2nd April 2025. I’m currently trying to get the record set straight prior to the next CPPPC meeting but it’s taking time…
…however, I’m already on the written record as saying that the Convener’s information was “misleading and incomplete.”
WTAF?!
“Analysis” by Glenn Campbell over at the BBC is telling a slightly different story in his dutiful public service to Scottish license payers.:
“There are aspects of closer cooperation between the UK and EU that the Scottish government is happy to welcome.
However, there was never going to be a package that would satisfy SNP ministers, as they favour a return to the EU.
They argue the best way for that to be achieved is through Scottish independence. But that debate has lost much of its previous energy.
An earlier “reset” in relations between the UK and devolved governments has improved how they work together.
But Scottish ministers argue that they should have been consulted on today’s deal, despite foreign affairs being a matter reserved to Westminster.”