Montage © UK Fisheries Campaign 2025
PM’s ‘EU Reset Ship’ now rudderless, facing mountainous waves of opposition to his EU deal
Just 19 days before Sir Keir Starmer’s ‘Great Reset Summit’ with the EU, his alleged plans to submit to EU demands on fishing rights in UK waters have been depth-charged by a poll commissioned by the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation which has revealed that almost nine out of 10 Scots believe it is the UK that should control access to UK waters.
87% say the UK should decide access to UK waters for EU boats and 81% demand something from the EU in return for any access.
These are the headline findings of a professional poll conducted for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation by Opinion Matters and released before a major debate in the Scottish Parliament yesterday. They prove, says the UK Fisheries Campaign, that Sir Keir’s plans for his Reset Summit have been “holed below the waterline”.
In a part of the UK where more people voted in the EU Referendum to stay in the EU than to leave, this bombshell poll shows that 87% of people believe the UK should have full powers over which fleets can fish in the UK EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone), with just 3.2% disagreeing.
Below we summarise the poll’s findings and outline the devastating impact these will have on the Prime Minister’s plans for his much-touted ‘Great EU Reset Summit’ on 19 May.
Nine out of 10 of Scots say UK must control UK waters
- 87% of people believe the UK should have full powers over which fleets fish in the UK EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone)
- Only 3.2% disagreed
- 80% think the EU fleet should not be granted continued access to UK fishing grounds without tangible benefits being returned
Chart courtesy of © Brexit Facts4EU.Org 2025 – click to enlarge
[Source(s) : Opinion Matters poll for Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, Apr 2025]
In a further blow to Starmer, young people are also for full UK control
Is is typically younger people who have been more in favour of the EU than their elders, but one of the interesting findings in this survey is that the young also believe the UK should control access to it own waters.
Even the young are against Starmer’s plans
- 90% of over-55s demand benefits in return for fishing access
- 62% – a clear majority – of 16-24 year-olds agreed
All regions of Scotland backed the ‘UK first’ principle
In all of Scotland’s regions there were very clear majorities for every question asked. Whilst it might not be surprising to see strong support for controlling access to UK waters in places such as the Highlands and Islands, the sentiment was strong in areas which have little association with coastal fishing.
Those who backed ‘benefits in return for access’ by region
- Highlands and Islands: 91%
- Mid Scotland and Fife: 89%
- North East: 84%
- Central Scotland: 84%
- Glasgow: 83%
- Lothian: 81%
PM’s plans ‘blown out of the water’ just 19 days before key EU summit
Despite the Government denying that anything has yet been agreed, it is clear from leaks from Brussels that the intention was to acquiesce to the EU’s insistence on an agreement in principle to continue current fishing arrangements on a long-term basis.
This would have meant an understanding to renew the existing five-and-a-half-year deal on a new multi-year deal basis, allowing the EU fleet to fish in UK waters. This is anathema to UK fishermen and it runs counter to all the other fishing deals in the world, where access to a country’s waters is agreed in annual negotiations and limits are set.
No.10’s official position
So far, No.10 has refused to discuss the various deals which are being pre-negotiated prior to the Prime Minister’s ‘Great EU Reset Summit’, saying they “will not give a running commentary”. We know from leaks from Brussels that the EU is demanding agreements in principle on a wide variety of issues. Fishing (and access to UK waters) has been one of the ones most mentioned, as we have previously reported.
Not only does the EU want similar access to that provided under the current agreement, it actually wants a greater share in some cases and – wholly unacceptable to the fishermen – the EU wants a multi-year framework instead of the customary annual arrangements which exist in the rest of the world.
Yesterday in the Scottish Parliament
As we reported yesterday, a motion was moved by Scottish MEP Tim Eagle entitled ‘Protecting Scotland’s Fishing Industry‘. Not surprisingly the subject of this poll for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation was mentioned many times during yesterday’s debate. The UK Fisheries Campaign (UKFish.Org) will be producing a report on this debate later.
Fishing is ‘the finger in the dyke wall’
Fishing is just one of many areas where the EU has been lining up draconian demands of the Prime Minister, knowing how much he has now invested in his ‘great reset’ and how keen he will be to show some success. Other areas are likely to meet stiff opposition in the UK. For now, though, fishing is once again the totemic issue – exactly as The UK Fisheries Campaign (UKFC) predicted it would be.
There is now no doubt that fishing has once again captured the public’s imagination, with new Members and Supporters signing up each day.
© The UK Fisheries Campaign 2025
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