Reynolds refuses to deny report saying EU fishing rights in UK waters extended for 12 years under deal
Nick Robinson puts it to Reynolds that a 12-year fishing deal would be longer than anyone was expecting. The fishing industry, which believes the EU’s current access rights to UK waters are already too generous and wants them cut back, are bound to object.
Reynolds won’t confirm the 12-year figure. But he says there is a good case for moving away from having annual negotiations over fishing (which was supposed to be the process from 2026, under the original post-Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson) to having a system with more “consistency”.
Key events
Ed Davey welcomes deal and urges Starmer to ignore ‘naysayers and dinosaurs’ in Reform UK and Tory party
The Liberal Democrats have welcomed news of the deal with the EU as a “positive step”. In a statement, Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, said:
These seem to be some positive first steps in rebuilding our relationship with Europe after years of a Conservative party that wrecked trust and broke our relationship with our closest allies.
The prime minister must ignore the naysayers and dinosaurs in Reform and the Conservative party and be more ambitious in getting the best deal in the national interest.
Lisa O’Carroll
Lisa O’Carroll is a Guardian correspondent covering Brexit and trade.
It is understood the fishing deal will run for 12 years until 2038 with concessions for fishing industries such as processing that don’t have direct access to the seas.
This would mean fish processing can take place anywhere including in UK communities that ended up setting up complex and costly veterinary certification to comply with Brexit export health and safety rules
Tory claims about EU deal being ‘surrender’ are ‘nonsense’, says Conservative peer and supermarket boss Stuart Rose
Stuart Rose, the Asda chair and former Marks & Spencer boss who sits in the Lords as a Conservative party chair, has said that it is “nonsense” for his party to describe the today’s deal with the EU as “surrender”. (See 9.12am.)
In an interview with Times Radio, asked if agreed with the “surrender” claim made by the Tories, Rose replied:
No, it’s nonsense. I really am quite disappointed and sad that I live in a country – you know, I am a Conservative, although I am not a politically active Conservative, I’m not a politician. But to hear that the Conservatives are saying we must be rule givers and not rule takers. It’s about giving a bit, taking a bit, and understanding this is a very difficult, unpleasant world we live in.
And we’ve got to make sure that for the UK public and for the UK, we do our best. That’s what we elect our politicians to do. That’s what I expect them to do. And talking about small things like surrender is pathetic.
Rose, who was a leading anti-Brexit campaigner in 2016 (unlike those leading the Conservative party now), described the deal as a “win” for Britain.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, told business leaders in Downing Street this morning that the deal with the EU would be “about bringing more good jobs to our country, it’s about reducing prices in the shops for consumers, as your costs fall as businesses, and, crucially, it’s about our defence partnership with our allies”.
According to Natasha Clark from LBC, the government is going to announce extra money for the fishing industry.
Gov sources say new £360m extra for coastal fishing
Say the EU tried to tie fishing deal to business agricultural checks, but it’s been confirmed there won’t be a time limit on those
Unclear exactly what checks will be relaxed and how at the moment
Deal could lead to ‘end of fishing industry’, Farage claims
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, has claimed that, if the EU retains access to UK fishing waters for another 12 years, as reported, that will amount to the “end of the fishing industry. He posted this on social media.
If true that will be the end of the fishing industry.
Minister says deal with EU shows Britain ‘back on world stage’
Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of post-Brexit relations with the EU, has posted this on social media about the reset deal agreed today.
Historic day.
After months of negotiations, I can announce that the Labour Government has secured a new agreement with the EU.
Good for jobs
Good for bills
Good for borders
And more…
Britain back on the world stage, with a Government in the service of working people.
Here is the latest Guardian story on the reset deal, by Peter Walker, Jessica Elgot and Lisa O’Carroll.
And this is what they says about fishing.
According to EU sources, access to British fishing waters will be granted until the end of June 2038, an extension of 12 years. In return, the agreement on easier checks for food, animal and other agricultural products, known as sanitary and phytosanitary goods (SPS), is indefinite.
While the length of the fishing rights deal is likely to prompt criticism from the Conservatives and Reform UK, it is understood that Downing Street pushed back against EU demands for a time-limited SPS deal and a permanent arrangement on fishing.
‘Total capitulation’ – Tories attack deal on fishing, even though it extends concessions originally made by Boris Johnson
Andrew Bowie, the shadow Scottish secretary, had a difficult time on the Today programme when he was interviewed by Nick Robinson before 7am about the EU-UK deal. Robinson was already quite fired up, having spent a few minutes rowing with a Krelmin spokesperson who claimed Ukraine started the war with Russia, and he asked Bowie four times why the Conservatives were describing the deal with Brussels as “surrender”, using the language of war to discuss a trade agreement with allies.
Bowie eventually said that if the UK ended up being subject to EU laws, sending money to the EU, and allowing more EU fishing boats into UK waters, “then we will indeed have surrendered to the demands of the Europeans. Union”.
The encounter has not persuaded Bowie to tone down his language. Within the last hour, he posted this on social media.
If it is true that Labour has surrendered British waters to the EU until 2038, that is worse than a surrender, it is a total capitulation.
Other Scottish Tories are saying the same. This is from Harriet Cross, MP for Gordon and Buchan.
If this morning’s reports are true that Labour have given the EU access to UK fishing waters until 2038,
this isn’t a just a betrayal,
it’s a complete abandonment of our fishing fleets.
And this is from John Lamont, MP for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk.
The latest Starmer Sellout. The EU takes 7 times more fish by value from British waters than we take from theirs. So why is Keir Starmer giving European fisherman the same access to British waters for the next 12 years? Absolutely disgraceful!
Many people working in the fishing industry strongly supported Brexit because they thought it would allow them to regain some of the exclusive access to British waters they had before the UK joined the EU.
But they felt betrayed when Boris Johnson negotiated a post-Brexit deal with the EU that allowed EU fishing boats to retain much of the access they had when the UK was a member. This is how Toby Helm wrote it up for the Observer at the time.
It is worth pointing out that if, as the Scottish Tories claim, fishermen have been betrayed today, it is just an extension of the original betrayal they suffered at the hands of the last Conservative government.
Scottish government complains about not being consulted over deal with EU on fishing
Angus Robertson, cabinet secretary for constitution, external affairs and culture in the SNP Scottish government, has posted this on social media about the fishing aspect of the EU-UK deal
UK Govt has agreed a fisheries (devolved) deal with EU in principle, without any recourse, involvement or approval of Devolved Admins. Scottish Government received no documentation or draft proposals in advance. I asked UK minister last week for this. Nothing received. Reset?
This is from Joe Barnes, the Telegraph’s Brussels correspondent, on the deal.
Brexit reset deal – Fishing access until 2038
SPS, no time limits on dynamic alignment
CBAM and ETS is dynamic alignment
No youth mobility deal, but a promise to revisit at a later under agreed parameters, including rejoining Erasmus.
CBAM is the carbon border adjustment mechanism and the ETS is the emissions trading scheme.
Brexit reset deal – Fishing access until 2038
SPS, no time limits on dynamic alignment
CBAM and ETS is dynamic alignment
No youth mobility deal, but a promise to revisit at a later under agreed parameters, including rejoining Erasmus.— Joe Barnes (@Barnes_Joe) May 19, 2025
Q: Will the UK be able to influence EU rules on food standards under this deal, as Jonathan Reynolds implied? (See 8.27am.)
Kallas says the there have been extensive talks about food standards. But she says the UK decided to be outside the EU, and outside the EU it does not have the same influence as countries that are inside, she says.
Kaja Kallas, the EU’s foreign affairs chief, is being interviewed on the Today programme now by Anna Foster.
Foster asks her if she will confirm the 12-year fishing deal figure
Kallas says Keir Starmer, Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa will confirm the details later.
But deals have two sides, she says.
Reynolds refuses to deny report saying EU fishing rights in UK waters extended for 12 years under deal
Nick Robinson puts it to Reynolds that a 12-year fishing deal would be longer than anyone was expecting. The fishing industry, which believes the EU’s current access rights to UK waters are already too generous and wants them cut back, are bound to object.
Reynolds won’t confirm the 12-year figure. But he says there is a good case for moving away from having annual negotiations over fishing (which was supposed to be the process from 2026, under the original post-Brexit deal negotiated by Boris Johnson) to having a system with more “consistency”.
EU fishing rights in UK waters extended for 12 years under deal, BBC reports
Chris Mason, the BBC political editor, tells the Today programme that he has been told a fishing deal with the EU has been agreed for 12 years.
But he says the agrifoods deal that has been agreed, reducing checks on UK products going to the EU, is not subject to a time limit.
Mason says he has been told the details of the youth mobility scheme have still not been finalised.
