Let’s be crystal clear: Keir Starmer’s new EU trade deal isn’t some betrayal of British fishermen. It’s a lifeline. It fixes part of the damage Brexit inflicted - damage sold to voters on a plate of jingoism, fantasy economics, and red-faced tabloid fury.
Yes, the deal extends EU access to UK waters for another 12 years. But that’s not new. That was baked into Boris Johnson’s own Brexit agreement – the one Farage, the Express, the Mail and the Telegraph all hailed like it was the second coming of Churchill. Now they’re pretending it’s a fresh betrayal to keep the outrage machine wheezing along. It’s pathetic.
What Starmer has actually done is remove the bureaucratic brick wall Johnson’s deal dumped on seafood exporters – especially shellfish, where freshness is everything. Less paperwork. Fewer delays. Lower costs. More profit. And crucially – more trade. And more trade means greater demand for British-caught fish. Which means more work for fishermen. That’s not betrayal. That’s common sense.
You know, the kind of common sense that actually benefits the people who go to sea, rather than the people who go on telly.
Because here’s the bit the Brexit cultists can’t stomach: this is their deal. Johnson signed it. Farage backed it. The right-wing press flogged it. Starmer’s only “crime” is clearing up their wreckage quietly and competently – so now they have to scream “betrayal!” at their own reflection.
And they look ridiculous doing it.
Let’s not pretend this is about the fishing industry. The real betrayal of British fishermen wasn’t this deal – it was Brexit itself. It torched access to EU markets, crippled small exporters, and handed European vessels access to UK waters for a decade – all under the flag of “sovereignty”.
Where were the front pages then? Where was the Express when crab boats were being turned away at Calais and coastal communities were being hung out to dry? They didn’t care then – and they don’t care now.
They care about protecting offshore cash, cosying up to billionaires, and stoking culture war bile to distract from economic vandalism. That’s why they screech “betrayal!” while banking the profits and pointing at dinghies.
Starmer’s deal is no silver bullet – but it’s a grown-up, practical fix. It helps real businesses. It reduces friction. It boosts exports. It creates demand. That’s how trade works – and trade helps fishermen.
And as for Nigel Farage – the man who’s supposedly the fishermen’s champion – he wasn’t even in Parliament for the announcement. He was on holiday in Nice. The same Farage who never turned up for fishing debates in the European Parliament. The same Farage who, having swaggered into Clacton and grabbed the seat, now barely shows his face there. His idea of serving fishermen is a sunbed and a selfie.
So when you hear the cries of betrayal, ask yourself – who’s actually fighting for British fishermen?
And who’s just fighting to stay relevant?
5 comments:
he multi-millionaire fishing industry families of Peterhead & Fraserburgh aren't complaining. Funny that,
This is only good news for the in-shore fleet. The distant water fleet that caught the sort of fish most Brits eat i.e. Cod and Haddock, is dead and gone. Neither the Brexiteers nor the current government can be bothered to negotiate with Norway and Iceland for access to their waters. I suppose it's weirdly logical: Europe sells us Cod and Haddock and we sell them fancy seafood.
The sort of fish most Brits eat is dictated and controlled by the big players because the profits are greater.
Not only fish.
Back in the 70s I was involved with studies into using Blue Whiting to make fish fingers etc. The result was near unanimous that Blue Whiting was as good as cod etc. Rejected by Bird'sEye et a l. So valuable Blue Whiting are processed into fish meal (andfish oil)
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