Brexit News: Farage rages as fishing rights are traded for a transition deal
Former Ukip leader Mr Farage took his dismay to Twitter blasting latest announcement made by Brexit Secretary Mr Davis, who today declared the UK would lose all sovereignty over British waters until at least 2020. Mr Farage wrote: “We sold out fisheries when we joined the EEC and we’re selling them out now as we leave.” Speaking alongside the European Commission’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier, Mr Davis heralded the deal as signifiacant. He said: "We’ve agreed specific safeguards when it comes to annual fishing negotiations. These arrangements will only apply for the negotiations in 2019 since we will still be a member state. “Through 2020, we’ll be negotiating fishing as an independent coastal state, deciding who can access our waters and on what terms.
We sold out fisheries when we joined the EEC and we’re selling them out now as we leave Nigel Farage
“For the year where it is relevant, we will agree the European Union will have to consult with us ahead of negotiations.” The announcement sparked the outrage of both fishermen and Scottish Tories, who yesterday threatened to vote down a final Brexit deal should the UK give its fishing rights up. John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk declared on Twitter he would reject any final deal in parliament if it didn’t grant to the UK the full control of setting quotas and the possibility to determine which vessels are allowed in British waters. Scottish Conservatives leader Ruth Davidson backed Mr Lamont, tweeting he would have her “full support”. An uprising of Scottish Tory MPs could put at risk the possibility of the Brexit deal to be approved, as PM Theresa May has only a working majority of 13 MPs in the Commons, the same number of elected Conservative MPs from Scotland.
GETTY Nigel Farage blasted a key concession granted by David Davis to the EU over UK's fishing rights
We sold out fisheries when we joined the EEC and we’re selling them out now as we leave. https://t.co/lc7XEztwoL — Nigel Farage (@Nigel_Farage) March 19, 2018
Taking back full control of UK fish stocks and of vessel access has been a central issue of the Leave campaign. Prior to the Eu referendum, 92 per cent of fishermen said they would vote to leave the European Union to take the UK out of the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which sets rules for how many fish each EU country's boats can land. The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation’ outrage mirrors this position. The group branded the terms agreed by Mr Davis “far short of an acceptable deal”. The SFF’s chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: “We will leave the EU and leave the CFP, but hand back sovereignty over our seas a few seconds later.
GETTY Michel Barnier and David Davis at today's joint press conference in Brussels
Brexit latest: David Davis meets EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier Mon, March 19, 2018 David Davis meets EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Brussels ahead of a crunch meeting of European Union leaders later this week Play slideshow AFP/Getty Images 1 of 10 British Brexit minister David Davis (L) and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier meet at the European Commission in Brussels
TWITTER Ruth Davidson MP backed John Lamont MP on Twitter