FERGUS Ewing has renewed warnings to the fishing community the Conservative Government may grant access to Scotland’s coastal waters as part of a new UK deal with the EU.

The Scottish Rural Economy Secretary issued the red alert after he said he had failed to get any assurances from Michael Gove, his UK counterpart, that no such provision would be included in a future settlement.

His intervention came as Gove, a key figure in the campaign to leave the EU, insisted Brexit would create a “sea of opportunity”.

He argued it would enable the industry to dramatically increase the amount of fish caught and set a “far more sensible, environmentally wise policy”.

He told BBC Good Morning Scotland yesterday: “There is a sea of opportunity for us out there as we leave the European Union.

“I don’t think anyone envisages anything other than a free trade arrangement between Britain and the European Union.”

And he claimed: “No deal is indeed better than a bad deal, but I think that, because we have a trade deficit with the European Union, because they sell more to us than we sell to them not just in agriculture but also in other manufactured goods as well, it’s clearly in the EU 27’s interests to come to a deal, but more than that, it’s in our interests to be able to dramatically increase the amount of fish that we catch.”

But Ewing hit back, suggesting Scotland’s fishing industry could be used to help strike a deal.

“We have written to the UK Government on numerous occasions to ask for a guarantee that access to Scottish waters will not be given away as part of a Brexit deal and they have so far refused to provide any such reassurances,” he said.

“As well as having sought this in writing I have myself on several occasions asked for this assurance face to face with the Fisheries Minister and both the former and current Secretaries of State for Rural Affairs.”

Ewing went on to say that while the Scottish Government had made clear repatriated EU responsibilities must return to the Scottish Parliament in areas where it is wholly or partly responsible, such as agriculture, fisheries, environmental policy and justice, no such guarantees had been given by the UK Government.

“There should be absolutely no question of the UK Government attempting to reserve powers – as they have indicated is their intention in devolved areas like fishing, and we would not recommend the Scottish Parliament consents to any such proposals, which we would see as clearly unacceptable,” he added.

Holyrood must continue to have the powers to decide fisheries management appropriate for Scottish circumstances. Under the Scotland Act, all powers which are not explicitly reserved to the UK Government are devolved and that includes fisheries powers.”

With Brexit negotiations having just got under way, Gove visited Peterhead, in north-east Scotland, yesterday to speak to key figures from the fishing industry.

Many of those in the sector backed Brexit, and Gove had talks with Bertie Armstrong, the chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, about prospects outside of the EU.

Armstrong said: “We are delighted with the commitment made to taking back the beneficial control and management of our rich and sustainable seafood resources.”

Gove was questioned about his previous promise that Scotland would receive powers over immigration after Brexit. Asked if he would lobby May to implement this, Gove mentioned a “particular scheme” introduced by Jack McConnell, understood to be the post-study work visa. The scheme allowed international students to remain in Scotland for a period to work once they had graduated, but was scrapped by May as Home Secretary.