Boris to face 'major test' from Nicola Sturgeon's SNP over Brexit fisheries deal next year
BORIS JOHNSON has been warned he is due to face a "major test" of his Brexit deal on fisheries from Nicola Sturgeon next year.
Boris Johnson will face 'major test' over fisheries says expert
Boris Johnson has insisted the UK will regain control of its fishing waters from European Union members once the Brexit transition period has ended. The Prime Minister pledged fishing communities across the country will no longer be forced to abide by the strict rules of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). But The Times journalist Iain Martin warned Mr Johnson his deal on fisheries will soon be put to the test by Nicola Sturgeon.
Speaking to think tank UK in a Changing Europe, Mr Martin said: "The other thing to bear in mind is the Scottish elections, which everyone is overlooking in all of this.
"It’s the first major test for Boris Johnson next year.
"It’s very, very difficult considering how well Nicola Sturgeon is polling in terms of her response to COVID-19."
The Scottish First Minister has witnessed her approval rating skyrocket over her response to the coronavirus pandemic and her improved popularity could prove to be a challenge to Conservative candidates seeking to win a seat in the Scottish Parliament in May 2021.
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Mr Martin suggested the Prime Minister and prospective MSPs will have to demonstrate their party has delivered on the demands of Scottish fishermen.
He continued: "It is, in the seats that the Conservatives hold, which ironically many of them are not fishing seats or they have a very small fishing industry, it somehow symbolises neglect, arrogance from the centre, destruction of a partly imagined romantic notion of Scottish industry.
"So in seats that the Tories hold in Holyrood, they have to be seen to deliver something, they have to be seen sticking up for the fishing interest."
The fishing industry has been one of the main sticking points of the trade negotiations, with both the UK and the EU both unwilling to budge.
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Some of the most influential EU member states such as France and the Netherlands have demanded their vessels continue to have unfettered access to British waters once the UK is no longer in the bloc.
Fisheries capital have warned EU negotiator Michel Barnier he must “uphold existing reciprocal access conditions, quota shared and traditional activity”.
Mr Barnier had previously been expected to relax his "maximalist" position ahead of the fourth round of trade talks next week but was forced to back down.
The Frenchman is said to have identified a potential compromise that would allow the EU to bridge the gap with the UK’s demand to become an independent coastal nation.
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One EU diplomat said: “Our opening line of keeping the current terms is impossible to uphold.
“That is clearly unattainable so we’d be looking to some narrowing of the positions.”
After the meeting, Mr Barnier said: “We confirmed that there will be no free-trade agreement without a level-playing field and a balanced, sustainable, long-term solution on fisheries.”
Speaking to Express.co.uk, an EU diplomat said: “We reaffirmed our full support for the existing mandate, with no changes, and have confidence in Michel Barnier to deliver it.”