Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been warned that he could be ousted from Number 10 if he doesn’t secure a deal which protects the UK’s borders, cash and fish. The EU has warned Britain that it will be cut off from European markets if access to UK fishing grounds isn’t granted to the bloc. This issue, along with red lines on regulation, has caused trade talks between Brussels and London to stall.Brexiteer and former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib warned today that Mr Johnson could cost his party their place in power if he doesn’t get the right deal. Mr Habib said: “We are in the final days of determining what sort of Brexit Boris Johnson will deliver.
“The political consequences of not taking back control of our laws, borders, cash and fish would be vast.
“It would promote Keir Starmer to Number 10.”
But the UK could face a tough negotiating stance from the EU’s negotiator Michel Barnier, who is under pressure to defend fishermen in the bloc.
German fishermen from the island of Rugen in the Baltic Sea expressed fears that Brexit could mean a “worst-case scenario” for both sides.
Uwe Richter, director of a herring processing factory in Rugen, said in March: “The worst-case scenario if we get a hard Brexit after all, without an agreement on fishing rights, we’d lose our access rights to the British economic area in an instant and wouldn’t have any opportunities to bring in any herring in the second half of the year.”
He added: “If there is no trade deal we get whacked with tariffs and paperwork, so the herring stinks to the heavens by the time it arrives and the whole business becomes unaffordable.
“Herring is a very sensitive fish. You can’t afford to transport it from auction to auction. If you want a good product, you need the shortest routes possible.”
Mr Richter spoke of how his business will suffer from logistical barriers without access to UK waters.
He said: “The quota may go up again, of course. But when you are at such a low level it may take longer than we can afford to wait.
“Without them [British waters], we run the risk that the plant will be at a standstill for long periods.”
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The ‘Group of Eight’ coastal countries, which rely on UK fishing grounds, are urging Mr Barnier not to back down.
Mr Barnier has been speaking this week by video link to ministers from the Group of Eight, including Ireland, Belgium, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, France and Sweden.
Sean O’Donoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermen’s Organisation said: “Barnier is trying to twist [fisheries ministers’] arms, but my understanding is that he hasn’t been successful in doing that.”
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France has put up the most resistance, with French President Emmanuel Macron trying desperately to keep access to UK waters for his country’s fishermen.
French minister, Clement Beaune, said this month that the country’s fishermen must be protected.
He said: “Our fishermen will not be a bargaining chip for Brexit, they will not have to pay the price for Britain’s choices.”
