THERESA May accused Nicola Sturgeon of betraying Scotland yesterday.
In her speech to the Tory party conference, the Prime Minister said the First Minister’s desire to keep Scotland in the EU would leave Scottish fishermen stuck in the Common Fisheries Policy.
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But Brexit, the Prime Minister promised, would mean the UK “would be out of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), an independent coastal state once again.”
She added: “And with the UK’s biggest fishing fleets based in Scotland, let me say this to Nicola Sturgeon: You claim to stand up for Scotland, but you want to lock Scottish fishermen into the CFP forever.
“That’s not ‘Stronger for Scotland’, it’s a betrayal of Scotland.”
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Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader at Westminster warned that Scottish fishermen would not be well served by Brexit.
He said: “The SNP Scottish Government has listened to the concerns raised by businesses, and repeatedly set out a compromise position – remaining in the single market – that will protect jobs, business, including our fishing industry, and the economy as a whole.”
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The SNP have long been opposed to the CFP, calling for the UK to remain in Europe and reform the arrangement that divvies up access to EU waters for European fishing fleets.
But adherence to the policy and its quotas is a requisite of being part of the EU.
The Scottish Fishermen’s Federation believes leaving the EU will allow local fisherman to increase their catch.
Earlier this week, SFF chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: “It has been evident to those within the industry in the UK for many years that the system is inequitable.
“We have some of the best fishing grounds in the world, yet the straitjacket that is the CFP prevents our boats from catching even a majority of the quota in our own waters.
“That must end with Brexit, and it is pleasing that the public recognise the validity of our arguments about grasping the sea of opportunity to ensure that fishing is one of the biggest beneficiaries of Brexit across the UK economy.”
But the industry was left reeling earlier this year, when the Government put forward a plan for a two-year transition period between Brexit day and finally leaving the EU.
That would mean fisherman having to abide by CFP quotas until 2021.
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