Do you trust the Government to protect Britain’s fishing industry in talks with the EU?
Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to make a significant concession to the European Union by agreeing to guarantee European fishing boats access to British waters for four years.
The Prime Minister’s compromise comes ahead of a crucial UK-EU summit in London next week.
The fishing rights deal will be discussed when Sir Keir meets with Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, and Antonio Costa, president of the European Council.
The Prime Minister hopes this compromise will break the deadlock with Brussels as he attempts to secure his much-vaunted Brexit reset.
This represents a major shift in the UK’s negotiating position with the EU.
Starmer appears willing to make concessions on fishing rights that his predecessors had previously defended as a symbol of British sovereignty post-Brexit.
The move signals the Prime Minister’s determination to improve relations with Brussels despite potential domestic criticism.
Lord Frost, the former Brexit negotiator, has condemned the move as “a shameful surrender of fishing communities’ rights”.
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