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Braverman slams Starmer for 'betraying British fishermen' as she brands PM's Brexit reset an 'EU re-entry by stealth'
20 May 2025, 00:03 | Updated: 20 May 2025, 08:59
Former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has accused Sir Keir Starmer of betraying the British people and abandoning one of the key benefits of Brexit with his new EU reset.
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The Prime Minister on Monday announced a landmark 12-year agreement with the European Union, hailing a "new era" of relations with the bloc, adding that it is about "moving on from stale old debates" and "looking forward, not backwards".
The deal will bring a new youth mobility scheme, closer ties on military and defence, the opening up of British waters to European fishermen and grant Brits the ability to travel through EU eGates at airports.
The agreement has been hailed by business leaders as a key step in returning Britain to the world stage, but Labour has faced criticism for “selling out” fishermen and “betraying Brexit.”
Writing for LBC, Ms Braverman said: “Keir Starmer - once the high priest of the ‘People’s Vote’ crusade, now the accidental custodian of Brexit’s legacy - has wasted no time beginning the quiet demolition of what was so arduously won in 2016.
Starmer hails ‘common sense’ EU deal as Brexiteers condemn ‘surrender’
“For all his pre-election affectations of respecting the referendum result, the mask has now slipped.
“Many of us suspected this moment would come. But few believed it would arrive with such speed and shamelessness.”
Ms Braverman rejected the claim that this deal marks a “reset” with the EU.
“It is a rollback,” the Conservative wrote.
Key points in the deal:
- Trade rules to be eased, allowing more UK food exports but Britain will have to follow EU rules on food standards
- Brits to be allowed to use eGates at airports in EU countries
- EU trawlers allowed to fish in UK waters for 12 years
- Defence and Security pact allowing Brit firms access to EU defence fund
- Plans for ‘Youth Experience Scheme’ for young Brits to work on the continent
- UK gets access to EU facial images data to help catch criminals
“A retreat. A re-entry by stealth into the EU’s orbit, engineered by a man who voted against every single piece of Brexit legislation in Parliament.
“And now, with barely a hint of irony, he presents himself as the steward of Britain's future.”
Despite Labour’s clear plans to lower net migration, Ms Braverman alleges the new youth mobility scheme will create a “backdoor” for 60 million Europeans, almost the entire population of Britain, to enter the country.
Watch Again: Shelagh Fogarty is joined by Chancellor Rachel Reeves | 19/05/25
“Starmer has voluntarily shackled Britain once more to the EU's agrifood rulebook, surrendering one of Brexit's key wins- our right to set our own standards, tailor our rules, and unburden our farmers and food producers from Brussels' diktats. In one stroke, he has reversed years of hard-won independence.”
“Worst of all”, Braverman says, is the “betrayal” of British fishermen.
“Along the south coast- in places like Fareham and Waterlooville- fishermen who endured decades of injustice under the Common Fisheries Policy had begun, tentatively, to hope again,” she told LBC.
“Brexit gave them a lifeline, a chance to restore control over our waters. Under the previous Conservative government, imperfect though the arrangements were, we at least retained the right to renegotiate in 2026. That was the moment to reclaim what was ours.
“Instead, Starmer has pre-emptively handed over access to our waters for up to twelve more years. No renegotiation. No leverage. No vision. A quiet extinction of a great British industry.
And what do we get in return for all this? A few quicker lines through e-gates? A vague security pact? A pat on the head from the European Commission?”
Details of the deal were announced at the UK-EU summit on Monday, where Sir Keir was meeting with his European Commission president Mrs von der Leyen and European Council president Mr Costa.
The government said they had struck a deal that will make it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported by reducing the red tape on businesses which has led to lengthy lorry queues at the border. “This agreement will have no time limit, giving vital certainty to businesses,” Labour said.
Some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely, including between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Britain will also be allowed to sell various products including burgers and sausages back to the EU again.
British steel exports are protected from new EU rules and restrictive tariffs, saving around £25m per year.
There will be closer police cooperation, with the UK to enter talks about having access to EU facial images data for the first time, on top of the existing arrangements for DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data.
British holidaymakers will also be able to use more eGates in Europe as part of the deal, hopefully bringing an end to long border queues.
Sir Keir said: “It’s time to look forward. To move on from the stale old debates and political fights to find common sense, practical solutions which get the best for the British people.
“We’re ready to work with partners if it means we can improve people’s lives here at home.
“So that’s what this deal is all about – facing out into the world once again, in the great tradition of this nation. Building the relationships we choose, with the partners we choose, and closing deals in the national interest. Because that is what independent, sovereign nations do.”
Minister for European Union Relations and lead Government negotiator, Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “Today is a historic day, marking the opening of a new chapter in our relationship with the EU that delivers for working people across the UK.
"Since the start of these negotiations, we have worked for a deal to make the British people safer, more secure and more prosperous. Our new UK-EU Strategic Partnership achieves all three objectives. It delivers on jobs, bills and borders.
"Today is a day of delivery. Britain is back on the world stage with a Government in the service of working people."
Watch Again: Iain Dale speaks to Nick Thomas-Symonds | 19/05/25
Speaking to LBC, the Chancellor rejected claims the deal has “betrayed” British fishermen.
Rachel Reeves argued there was a lot for the UK's fishing industry to be "strongly positive" about, including the opportunity to once again export Shellfish to the European continent.
Speaking to LBC's Shelagh Fogarty, the Chancellor said: "I think this is a good deal for our fishermen. It makes it easier to export to our neighbours.
"70 per cent of what we fish in UK waters is exported to countries in the European Union. It has been incredibly hard for our farming and fishing companies to export over the last few years because we left the EU.
"This [deal] will make it easier and it will mean somethings like Shellfish that haven't been able to be exported to the EU, can be again."
Ms Reeves also added that other food exports such as sausages and beef burgers will also be exported with ease to Europe because of this deal.
Fishermen such as Andrew Lawrence, from Leigh-on-Sea, were left infuriated by the deal, saying: “I think it's going to affect the inshore fishery massively, especially on jobs.
“We're struggling to get youth and younger guys into the industry now, but personally, I don't think there's any future.”
The fishing industry in the UK has been shrinking, with 5,418 registered fishing vessels in 2023. This is a reduction of 54% since 1993.
While the EU will have access to UK waters until 2038, it is understood that there will not be an increase in the amount of fish countries from the bloc are allowed to catch. There will also not be a decrease in the British fishing quota.
Speaking to LBC's Ben Kentish, former Conservative MP Steve Baker called the deal a "mess" and warned it could lead the UK to be sued.
