Tory MPs and Nigel Farage join fish-flingers in Thames protest over EU transition deal

Protesters have flung fish into the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament this morning in a demonstration against the Government's Brexit transition deal.

Fishermen and Tory MPs took part in the protest after the Government caved to demands from Brussels that Britain remain in the Common Fisheries Policy until 31 December 2020.

The climbdown over the transition deal means that the UK will be subject to quotas imposed on British fishermen from the EU for an additional 21 months.

Setting off shortly after 8am, the fishing vessel Holladays set sail under Tower Bridge towards Parliament, carrying more than a dozen journalists and fishermen armed with Fishing for Leave banners. 

They were joined by Scottish MP Ross Thomson, who was seen flying flags and waving to cameras alongside fishermen and reporters. 

After making their way to Westminster, the protesters unloaded two boxes of fresh haddock fished from the English Channel. 

However, Tory MPs attending the protest did not take part in the fish flinging, having been instructed not to by the Whips' Office last night. 

Following the demonstration, the boat returned to Westminster pier, where it was boarded by Nigel Farage, who told those present that fishing rights were an "acid test" of the Brexit negotiations. 

"They told us they were going to take back control in 2019. That is not happening," Mr Farage said. 

"We are now told that at the beginning of 2021 it may happen. I don't think this Government has got the guts or strength to stand up and take back our territorial waters. 

"During that 21 month transition, there are already hundreds of under 10 metre fisherman who are literally on the brink."

Watching  from Embankment Pier, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the influential pro-Brexit European Research Group, cheered the protesters on, having  declined an invitation to take part. 

Speaking from the pier, Mr Rees-Mogg told reporters that the protest was about "standing up" for the livelihoods of British fishermen. 

"This is one of, to my mind, one of the biggest flaws in the transition deal, and nothing agreed until everything is agreed," he said.

"And I think it would be better if the Government were to get back control of fishing sooner rather than later."

Mr Rees-Mogg had already strongly criticised the deal, warning Mrs May that the concessions made to Brussels will only be acceptable if they result in a "proper Brexit" when the UK finally leaves.

It came after a delegation of Scottish Tory MPs, many of whom represent fishing constituencies, met with Theresa May on Tuesday to discuss their concerns, while the Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he had been disappointed by the concession. 

The issue was also raised by ministers at a Cabinet meeting yesterday, as Theresa May was forced to reassure Brexiteers that “specific safeguards” had been secured which will ensure that the size of Britain’s catch will not be reduced.

However, her attempts to justify the decision were met with anger in the House of Commons on Tuesday afternoon, when several Tory MPs rose to denounce the agreement hammered out between Brexit Secretary David Davis and the EU negotiator Michel Barnier.

Meanwhile, in a letter sent to Downing Street this morning, 14 MPs, including Mr Rees-Mogg, have warned that the "disastrous" impact of joining the European European Community "cannot be compounded by compromise". 

The MPs point out that since joining in 1973, the UK's annual catch has declined from over 1.1m tonnes to 700,000, adding that under the CFP, EU vessels catch 650,000 tonnes in British waters while UK fishermen only net 90,000 per year. 

"This bleak picture however underplays the decline in the UK fishing fleet as many of the UK vessels are under foreign economic ownership and land their fish abroad – only 446,000 tonnes was actually landed in the UK," they write.

"This is economic madness for the UK.  It is also an injustice, which many who voted Leave expect to see remedied when the UK leaves the EU, particularly in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, whose coastal waters contain such a high proportion of the UK’s fishing resources.

"It is understandable that our EU partners will seek to keep the current system that so unfairly disadvantages the UK. 

"The Commission’s draft Withdrawal Agreement envisages that the UK will remain in the CFP during the implementation period but with no say over EU policy or annual quotas.

"The effect of ending discards during this period without compensating measures will be a further disaster for the UK’s already shattered fishing fleet, particularly for the inshore fleet, further eroding prosperity in vulnerable coastal communities.  

"These demands are completely unacceptable and would be rejected by the House of Commons."

In order to seize on the "unparalleled opportunities" of Brexit, the MPs demand that Mrs May prioritise conservation, restore the right for UK fishermen to land British fish, and that the Government implement a "far more sophisticated" fisheries management. 

This, they claim, would allow the UK to "nearly double" the size of its fishing fleet, and would be of "great benefit" to fishing communities in Northern Ireland and Scotland, resulting in a £2.7bn windfall and the creation of 30,000 jobs.

"Free to control our own fisheries, we could help rebuild the economically and culturally valuable inshore fishing fleet," they add. 

"The UK should have complete control of all fishing activity within our Exclusive Economic Zone.

"Like other North Atlantic maritime states and depending on state of the marine environment and fish stocks, we should negotiate reciprocal access to non-UK vessels. But any access granted must be temporary and without future obligation."

Calling on Mrs May to take action at the European Council summit, due to take place later this week, the MPs have asked that the following measures be implemented: 

• Our intention to take back control of our 200 nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone as permitted under Article 61 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

• UK national fisheries resources are not negotiable.

• Leaving the European Union means setting our own fisheries policy from 29 March 2019. The UK will not remain party to the CFP during the proposed implementation period.