In the history of ill-fated predictions, my own prediction that Boris’s (then hypothetical) sell out of fisherman would be his demise, would be one of the quickest to be disproved by events. Because since the Brexit deal, which establishes a 5-and-a-half-year transition period within which the EU will still have access to UK waters, and by the end of which they will still control one third, Brexiteers of many stripes have come out in favour of the arrangements. If Nigel Farage and Mark Francois are saying its good enough, then few would want to try and be more Catholic than the pope.
However, despite something of a conciliatory tone emanating from between Vote Leave, the ERG and the press, there do remain dissenters, particularly amongst former Brexit Party MEP’s. Martin Daubney and June Mummery in particular, former MEP’s of Farage’s BXP, have taken to Twitter to express the extent of their concerns:
The fundamental truth of this deal is that much of which was hoped to be recaptured in the way of fishing stock has been traded away for tariff free access to European markets, and whether that is a price worth paying is something the mass of people will decide, and on the basis of the likes of Farage declaring ‘The War is Over’ I would suggest they will be swayed by such an intervention.
Others suggest that the transition period is actually necessary, because the UK needs time to expand its processing capacity, and to build up a fleet capable of catching the increased quota to which British fisherman will be entitled. Boris Johnson has pledged £100 million to this end. Others still are hopeful that come the end of the transition, the UK will be able to reclaim the entirety, or at the very least an overwhelming majority of the fish in her waters, though I would posit this is an overtly optimistic view. Though on this, I would not be saddened to be proven wrong, again.
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