EU to demand access to UK fishing waters as Starmer seeks to reset Brexit relationship

14 December 2024, 17:16

Brussels will demand access to British fishing waters and force the UK to follow EU laws as the price of a new trade deal for Sir Keir Starmer.

A blueprint of EU negotiators' red lines published by The Times shows that EU leaders intend to make ECJ jurisdiction over Britain a component of any new trade deal.

If accepted, the demand would be the first time that the UK had to follow EU law since Brexit.

The UK’s independent marine protection policy would also be dismantled if the demands in the document.

Read More: Brexit views not protected from workplace discrimination, tribunal rules after woman sacked over ‘offensive’ posts

Read More: Labour ‘must get on front foot’ with Trump trade deal and take advantage of Brexit, former export minister says

This change would guarantee the right of European fishermen to access British waters.

It comes as new talks are set to kick off in the new year, with Starmer hoping to reset the UK relationship with the bloc.

Another lesser concession will be UK participation in a youth mobility scheme which provides visa-less travel to under 30s.

They document reportedly states: “The maintenance of the status quo is essential for member states. A reset between the Union and the UK is only credible if it is based on an early understanding on this.”

The National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO) told The Times that these terms were a “neo-colonial relationship with the EU”.

Mike Cohen, the chief executive officer of the NFFO, said: “In a situation almost without precedent, foreign boats fish in the UK’s territorial waters, just six miles from the coast."