EU accused of ‘ridiculous' new plot to threaten UK fishermen in Brexit revenge

MEPs have argued for no further cuts to EU boats in UK fishing waters in an official report

Fears the EU will restrict British access to European energy markets in an act of Brexit revenge have sparked outrage. A European Parliament report on the UK’s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU has highlighted the bloc’s desire to take revenge on Brexiteers, MPs told Express.co.uk.

MEPs have argued for no further cuts to EU boats in UK fishing waters in an official report on the implementation of the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). They call for “reciprocal access to waters and fisheries resources” to be “maintained after 30 June 2026 so that there are no further quota reductions for EU fishers”.

Implying the issue of fisheries could be weaponised in future trade negotiations, the document urges the EU to “consider linking other specific parts of the TCA, such as the UK’s access to the European electricity market, as well as other relevant sectors under the TCA, with the EU’s access to British waters and fisheries resources”.

Sir John Redwood claimed the report highlighted the Brussels bloc’s desire to punish Britain for daring to choose its own path. The Tory MP for Wokingham told Express.co.uk: “This shows the EU continues to want to bully us.

“The Government should ignore these threats and get on with rebuilding our fishing industry. It also needs to ensure self-sufficiency in electricity.”

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Conservative MP for Great Grimsby Lia Nici argued the apparent threat from MEPs to use fisheries as a bargaining chip demonstrated how valuable the UK’s quotas were. The Brexiteer, whose constituency boasts a proud fishing heritage, was also quick to extol the benefits Britain would now be able to reap outside of the EU.

She told Express.co.uk: “This is yet another ridiculous action by the EU to try to threaten the UK with silly suggestions like this. By 30 June 2026, the UK will have taken back full control of all its sovereign fishing waters and fish quotas.

“It will be free to decide who can fish for all of our fish species in its waters, just as the EU and other sovereign nations can with their own quotas, which happens annually. Is the EU seriously considering limiting electricity supplies to the UK if it doesn’t get its own way?

“That clearly proves how valuable our fishing quotas must be! Let’s hope we don’t have a Labour Government by 2026, or they will give it all away.”

But Brexiteer businessman Ben Habib claimed the UK had never fully taken back control of its waters under the deal negotiated by Lord David Frost and former PM Boris Johnson. The deputy leader of Reform UK told Express.co.uk: “It is a threat made possible and very real by the bloody awful deal negotiated by Frost and signed by Johnson.

“We never took back control of our fishing waters. That was a lie from our then Prime Minister much to the huge detriment of 186 coastal communities. The French fishermen abuse our waters daily.”

Earlier this year the Prime Minister rejected an industry verdict that Brexit has achieved “nothing” for the fishing sector in Scotland. Speaking at the Scottish Conservative conference in Glasgow, Rishi Sunak defended the Government against comments made by Mike Park, chief executive of the Fraserburgh-based Scottish White Fish Producers’ Association, who said fishermen were the “poster boys” for Brexit in Scotland.

Mr Sunak said: “I think if you look at what’s happened…All the quotas have increased. I talked about mackerel in particular earlier on which is one of our more valuable stock.

“The Scottish fleet got about 90 percent share of that cash and I think the incremental value of what we’ve been able to deliver as a result of Brexit is something like £40 or £50million a year.

“But on top of that we also have the UK Seafood Fund in which Scotland is receiving over £40million in the next few years. “That investment is going into actual businesses on the ground which is making a real difference.”