BORIS Johnson has claimed that British fishermen should prepare for a post-Brexit “El Dorado”, referencing the mythical city of gold which explorers searched for in vain for hundreds of years.
The Prime Minister also accepted that there were currently barriers to trade for “some British fishermen”, but claimed this was a natural consequence of the pandemic forcing restaurants on the continent to close.
He said that these problems would have cleared by 2026, and British fishermen should prepare for "the opportunities ahead".
Speaking in the Commons this afternoon, Labour former minister Ben Bradshaw said: “When the Prime Minister told fishermen in the South-West that they would not face new export barriers or unnecessary form-filling, and when he told Britain’s musicians and artists they would still be free to tour and work in the rest of the European Union after Brexit, neither of those statements were correct, were they Prime Minister?”
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In answer to the MP for Exeter’s question, Johnson said: “It is absolutely true that some British fishermen have faced barriers at the present time owing to complications over form-filling and indeed one of the biggest problems is that, alas, there is a decline in appetite for fish in continental markets just because most of the restaurants, as he knows, are shut.”
The Prime Minister went on: “The reality is that Brexit will deliver and is delivering a huge uplift in quota, already the next five years, and by 2026 the fishing people of this country will have access to all the fish in all the territorial waters of this country.
“To get them ready for that El Dorado, we’re investing £100 million in improving our boats, our fish processing industry and getting fishing ready for the opportunities ahead.”
Yet again there is a mixture of evasion, deceit, bluster and plain ignorance in the Prime Minister’s response today about fishing & #Brexit. It is obvious that , amongst other problems, he hasn’t read or doesn’t understand the agreement he secured. pic.twitter.com/c8ntVR1V1u
— Michael Russell (@Feorlean) January 20, 2021
The SNP’s Michael Russell said Johnson’s answer had shown “a mixture of evasion, deceit, bluster and plain ignorance”.
The Scottish Constitution Secretary added: “It is obvious that, amongst other problems, he hasn’t read or doesn’t understand the agreement he secured.”
A Downing Street spokesperson last week refused to confirm that Johnson had read the text of the Brexit deal, instead insisting that the Prime Minister was “fully aware” of its contents.
Elspeth Macdonald, the chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), last week wrote to Johnson to say that the “huge uplift in quota” had been touting was actually not true.
READ MORE: SFF outlines broken Brexit promises in detail in letter to Boris Johnson
Macdonald wrote: “You and your Government have spun a line about a 25% uplift in quota for the UK, but you know this is not true, and your deal does not deliver that.”
The chief executive said there is “major concern” around many key whitefish species, adding: “Your deal actually leaves the Scottish industry in a worse position on more than half of the key stocks and now facing acute problems with North Sea cod and saithe in particular.”
Writing for The National, the Scottish Creel Fishermen's Association (SCFF) accused the UK Government of using fishing communities as "pawns".
The SCFF said that Johnson's Westminster Government had been "seduced by the power of slogans and misinformation, fed to the electorate over several years".
El Dorado, which comes from the Spanish for “the gilded”, is the name given to a mythical city of gold hidden somewhere in the Americas.
Much of northern South America, including the Amazon River, was mapped in pursuit of this “lost city”, with no sign of the fabled riches ever being found.
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