Politics
‘Not a single extra British fish’ will be plundered by French trawlers as a result of EU reset deal, promises Nick Thomas-Symonds
Not a single extra fish will be taken from UK fishing waters as a result of the Labour Government’s Brexit reset deal, the minister behind Sir Keir Starmer’s negotiations has told GB News.
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, also told GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast that the UK was not on a course to rejoin the European Union after the deal, which was dismissed as a surrender by the Government’s critics.
Nick Thomas-Symonds told GB News’ Chopper’s Political Podcast the UK was not on a course to rejoin the European Union after the deal
GB News
Asked how to answer fishermen who cry betrayal over the deal, Thomas-Symonds said: “Not a single additional fish can be taken out of British waters by European fishers as a consequence.”
He added: “I indicated some months ago an openness to a multi-annual deal to give stability, but what the fishers will now have, in addition to those existing arrangements, is much better access to the European Union market.”
Thomas-Symonds said that the separate “agreement on agricultural products, food and drink will mean is there’ll be far less red tape, fewer barriers in order to export to the European market”.
Products like UK mussels and other seafood will now be able to be exported to the EU.
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Thomas-Symonds said: ‘Not a single additional fish can be taken out of British waters by European fishers as a consequence.’
GB News
He said: “We are saying to fishers, ‘we want you to take advantage of those new opportunities’.”
Thomas-Symonds also confirmed the deal was not the start of the inevitable destination of rejoining the European Union.
He said: “No, and it is a hard-headed assessment of where we are in the 2020s.
“It’s moving away from the debates of the past. We are looking at what is in Britain’s interests for the next 10 or 15 years, not the last ten years.”
Asked directly by presenter Christopher Hope if the UK was going to rejoin, Thomas-Symonds replied: “No no no no. What we are doing is delivering on our mandate.
“We’re not rejoining the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement. And I should say, Chris, what we are doing is making Brexit work.”
He said: ‘We’re not rejoining the single market, the customs union or freedom of movement’
GB News
Speaking later on the same podcast, former Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash – who sat on the House of Commons committee which scrutinises EU legislation for 40 years – made clear that the battle to save Brexit was just beginning.
He said: “The fight not only goes on, but it intensifies. That’s the point… we say to people, this is about your self-government. It’s you are the voters. We got the referendum.
“You voted to go out of the European Union and we’re going to stand with you. And Brexit is the right thing to do.”
Listen to Chopper’s Political Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to your podcasts. Or watch the podcast on GB News’ YouTube channel.
