Brexit trade tensions rise as UK ‘hires more patrol boats

Brits to keep out EU fishing fleet ahead of showdown over access to British waters

EU access to UK waters will be crucial issue during post-Brexit trade discussions
Brussels is adamant European trawlers must be able to continue to fish near UK
But government said priority in UK fishing grounds will be given to British boats

Britain is bolstering the ranks of its fishing police force ahead of a potential showdown with the European Union over post-Brexit access to UK waters. Fishing rights have already emerged as one of the key battlegrounds in future partnership talks between the UK and the EU. Brussels is adamant that there must be ‘reciprocal access’ on fishing so that existing arrangements which allow European trawlers to fish near the UK can continue. But the government is equally adamant that who fishes in British waters will solely be a decision for ministers and priority will be given to British boats.

+The right of EU ships to fish in British waters after Brexit will be a key issues during trade talks between the UK and the bloc Boris Johnson, pictured in Downing Street today, has said British fishing vessels will be given priority access to British fishing grounds after Brexit. The EU has said it wants ‘reciprocal access’Britain has also resisted the idea floated by senior figures in the bloc that UK giveaways in areas like fishing could be met with EU concessions in others areas like access to financial markets. The UK is now putting in place additional measures to make sure it is able to enforce whatever new fishing rules are rolled out by boosting the number of ships it can call on to patrol its coastal waters. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has reportedly hired two extra ships to provide additional help to the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron.

Meanwhile, a further 22 boats are on standby to help out if they are needed and more than 30 extra enforcement officers have been recruited to inspect fishing vessels and make sure they have the right to be in UK waters. The RNFPS currently has four River-class offshore patrol vessels and one helicopter so the additional boats – first reported by Politico – represents a significant increase in capability. Boris Johnson said in a big Brexit speech on Monday that the UK is ‘ready to consider an agreement on fisheries, but it must reflect the fact that the UK will be an independent coastal state at the end of this year 2020, controlling our own waters’. He added: ‘And under such an agreement, there would be annual negotiations with the EU, using the latest scientific data, ensuring that British fishing grounds are first and foremost for British boats.’ But the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said there needed to be ‘reciprocal access to our territorial waters and our markets’. He also insisted that ‘agreement on fisheries will be inextricably linked to the trade agreement’.