Starmer justifies ‘betrayal’ of fishermen with nod to salmon exports.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer has defended the controversial 12-year extension of EU fishing access to UK waters announced on Monday by pointing to support from Salmon Scotland — sparking outrage from fishing leaders who say the deal sells out coastal communities.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation has described the agreement as a “horror show.” Other critics have called it a “shock betrayal.” Under the new arrangement, the EU will retain ongoing access to British waters until 2038 — far beyond the four-year rollover the UK had previously sought.
In response, Starmer told reporters that those who matter in the food sector welcomed the deal.
“Let me again repeat the driving principles behind this deal… which is the question, does it bring down bills?”
“And I think it is really important to see the reaction of supermarkets, of Salmon Scotland, to begin to answer that question — because they are celebrating this, because they know it will reduce prices.”
With that single quote, salmon was placed at the heart of the economic justification for extending foreign access to UK fisheries.
Starmer further defended the move as a source of stability, saying the alternative — annual negotiations — would have left the industry in constant uncertainty.
“Next year under the old arrangement we didn’t cease to have any EU fishing in our waters. We simply went to a year-on-year negotiation which means there is no stability for anybody.”
The Prime Minister has also claimed the wider deal will “add £9 billion to the UK economy” and bring down food prices — a line of argument that appears to prioritise exporters like the salmon sector over wild-catch fishing fleets.
At time of writing, Salmon Scotland has not issued a formal statement in response to the Prime Minister’s remarks.