Eustice: ‘EU making ludicrous demands’ in Brexit talks

George Eustice has branded EU demands “ludicrous”
10 Downing Street/AFP via Getty
John Dunne @jhdunne6 December 2020

Environment Secretary George Eustice has dubbed EU demands over fishing rights as “ludicrous” as stuttering Brexit talks continue.

The minister said the sticking point was an EU  condition that British waters should be open to its fishermen “in perpetuity”.

His comments were made as UK chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost was due to resume talks with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier.

Mr Eustice said the UK was prepared to offer a multi-annual deal of up to three years but not for an unlimited period.

He told Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme: "The EU have suggested a very modest increase that they would tolerate the UK having of the fish in its own waters, but given that we only have half of the fish in our own waters now that simply wouldn’t be possible.

“There is also the more important principle that you would not be able to give any guarantees for the long-term, otherwise you are effectively guaranteed access in perpetuity to our waters which is just not right under international law.

“We would be the only country in the entire world that could agree that, so such a suggestion really is quite ludicrous and not consistent with international law.”

Wrangling over fishing rights has become a major hurdle to the deal with the French in particular pushing hard to guarantee access UK waters.

Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the UK “absolutely” needs a deal with the EU, although he refused to be drawn on how Labour would vote on any agreement.

He told the programme: “Clearly we need to see what has been agreed. I think that’s a sensible, responsible position to take.

“But let’s very much hope there is a deal because there seems to be two paths before us at the moment – a path of leaving the transition period without a deal and leaving with a deal, and we do know how catastrophic the no-deal outcome would be.”

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Asked if the logical conclusion is Labour would vote for a deal, Mr Thomas-Symonds said it would be “responsible” for the party to consider any deal agreed.

He went on: “We don’t know at the moment what’s actually going to be presented to Parliament. Will it be the deal as agreed? Will it be a piece of legislation that is actually giving effect to that deal in legal terms, and we’ll have to consider that as well?”

On whether abstaining remains on the table for Labour Thomas-Symonds said: “Of course there are various options. When you get any particular vote that you get before Parliament there are the options that there always are – that’s absolutely the case.”

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