Sir Keir Starmer has been warned he could face an electoral wipe out in coastal areas of the UK if he caves in to further European Union demands over fishing rights.
The Prime Minister is keen to reset relations with Brussels and is preparing to hold talks on renewing the trade and cooperation agreement signed after Brexit.
However, a leaked Brussels document revealed the EU will try to drive a hard bargain and wring further concessions from the UK, particularly over fishing rights.
June Mummery, a former Brexit Party MEP and Reform candidate in July’s election, warned British fishermen had already been “shafted” over the previous deal and would not tolerate further concessions to the EU.
She vowed that her party would fight tooth and nail to stand up for fishermen’s rights.
“We’re not going to let them. We’re going to fight with the farmers. We’ve got to fight like hell,” she told GB News.
“Fishing has already been shafted and now they just want to come in and stick the knife in. But that’ll be it.
“He won’t get any coastal seats. He might as well kiss that goodbye because we’ll make that our mission. That’s 186 seats gone.”
Brussels will demand that the UK gives EU fishermen access to British waters and accept ECJ legal rulings in exchange for a new Brexit trade deal.
A blueprint of the leaked document seen by The Times is reported to say Sir Keir would have to guarantee EU fishermen access to UK waters and “effectively” undo Britain’s marine protections.
As a start, Britain must accept the “status quo” on fishing before talks can begin, with the same level of catch allowances and access for EU boats.
Another EU demand reportedly includes the dismantling of the UK’s marine protection policy, amid French-led opposition.
Earlier this month, the UK government said it had successfully secured quota for stocks totalling up to £890 million for the UK fishing fleet in 2025.
This was the result of successful negotiations with the EU, Norway and coastal States in the northeast Atlantic.
The Government said that the UK has gained up to 120,000 tonnes more quota from the 2025 annual negotiations than it would have as an EU member state.
Fisheries Minister Daniel Zeichner said: “This is another example of how we are delivering on our Plan for Change, boosting our British fishing industry by supporting the lifeblood of many coastal communities.”
