Minister ignores political reality of post-Brexit fisheries deal

The Committee initially wrote to Environment Secretary George Eustice MPin March about fears raised by its inquiry into access to British waters by foreign fishing fleets after the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.

Metadata

Provider:

UK Parliament

URL:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/eu-environment/news-parliament-2019/postbrexit-fisheries-deal/

Retrieved on:

Thursday, May 21, 2020

Information

Tags:

George Eustice, Brexit, British MPs, European Union, Euroscepticism

Summary

Key Points:

The Committee initially wrote to Environment Secretary George Eustice MPin March about fears raised by its inquiry into access to British waters by foreign fishing fleets after the UK's withdrawal from the European Union.
The response received from Victoria Prentis MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food was unsatisfactory and gave the impression that the Government is not genuinely seeking to reach a fisheries agreement.
While the Committee agrees with the Minister's point that the UK will have every right to control fishing access to its waters, the Minster ignored their central contention that exercising that right comes with consequences for both the fishing industry and the wider economy.
The Committees newly appointed Chair, Lord Teverson has asked the Minister to write to them again about the current state of play in the fisheries negotiations and whether she believes agreement will be reached by 1 July.