Labour's EU deal is an 'improvement' for fishing industry, Reynolds claims

The Economic Secretary to the Treasury has said that the Government’s deal with the EU will give fishing industries “long term certainty”.

Speaking on GB News, Emma Reynolds said: “The EU is our major trading partner; 46 per cent of our exports go to the EU market. This is a major improvement on the deal that was struck by the previous government.

“At the election we promised to forge a closer relationship with the EU to benefit businesses, bringing down that friction at the border, making sure we cut the red tape and the administration for all of those businesses, some of whom gave up exporting to the EU.

“So, good for business, particularly in food and agriculture, but other businesses too. Good for consumers, because in terms of importing into the EU that will be easier, so better consumer choice, and the supermarkets are saying lower prices at the checkout.

“And good for those of us who go on holiday in the European Union too, so fewer delays because UK passport holders will be able to go to go to the EU gates. And finally, we've established a new security and defence pact with the EU which, given that we have an ongoing war on our continent, is really good news. So we will cooperate more closely with the European Union on those issues too.

“We already contribute to the operational cost of Horizon, which is an EU research program negotiated by the previous Conservative government. So in terms of the money going in, we will just pay our fair share to operational costs. Should we, for example, we talked about today going back into Erasmus, being an associate member of Erasmus, which will give opportunities to our young people, we would then some contribution to the operational costs.

“It is not free movement. It is a youth mobility scheme, which we have with 13 other countries around the world. The numbers will be capped and the finer detail is going to be negotiated, but the principles are that the numbers will be capped.

“In the youth mobility schemes that we have, there's a visa involved as well, but it will give opportunities to our young people, which I took for granted, my generation did when we wanted to go and study or work in the EU, and obviously that will apply to EU citizens too.

“This builds on the safeguards that were secured by the previous Conservative government and it gives the industry long term certainty about the arrangement. But it also is an improvement in that so much of our seafood is exported to the EU. 70% of our seafood is exported to the EU.

“We have reciprocal rights too, but in terms of exporting to the EU shellfish, some was banned to be export to the EU thanks to the changes brought in after Brexit, so we are freeing up. We're taking away those barriers, so we'll have exports of shellfish and other seafood into the EU which will be made easier and cheaper by the deal that we struck today.

“We also announced a £360million transformation fund for our fishing industries to help coastal communities, to help reskill and develop our fishing industry across the country.

“We've protected the fishing industry from tariffs and we have safeguarded the rights that they had under the previous deal negotiated by the previous Conservative government, and we've given the industry longer term certainty.

“We've also brought down those barriers to those who export to the EU and made it cheaper and easier for them to do that. So that will be a benefit to those fishermen and women who fish that stock that is destined for the EU and it will make sure that they are in a better position economically.

“We said very clearly in our manifesto that we would not rejoin the customs union, the single market, or go back into free movement and we are not going to be rejoining the European Union. We respect the vote that was held some years ago.

“But we did say in our manifesto that we would improve on the deal that we had with the EU. This deal today brings massive economic benefits for businesses that export to the EU. The EU is our major trading partner.

“It also brings benefits to those of us who go on holiday to European Union countries and security and defence, the partnership that is a real benefit, too, in terms of our security. Given that we have an ongoing war on our continent, in an insecure world, that is not to be neglected too.

“The Prime Minister has negotiated the deal which is good for British business, good for British consumers, and good for British holidaymakers who have been subject to massive delays at European borders. They will now be able to go, once this deal is in place on this issue, to e-gate so they don't have to queue to get into countries across the European Union.

“This is not a betrayal of Brexit. We promised the British people that we would forge a closer relationship in a pragmatic and common sensical way with our nearest and biggest trading partner.

“That's good for British business and it's good for British consumers, because it will bring food bills down and it will allow our businesses who export to the EU much easier path to doing those exports, some of whom had already given up due to the barriers that have been put up.

“This is a pragmatic solution to improving the deal that we inherited from the last government, which was no good for business and wasn't good for consumers either.”

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