Former MEP Accuses Johnson of Stealing Opportunities and Aspirations of UK Fishing Towns.
UK fishermen are feeling betrayed and outraged by Boris Johnson after being accused of being “stabbed in the back” over the hated Brexit deal with the European Union.
The fishing industry is now exploding over the deal that was signed in December 2020, as the former Prime Minister had promised the industry that the UK would “take back control” of its waters before signing the agreement with the EU.
However, it turned out that the agreement contained a five-year transition period allowing EU boats to continue to gain some access to UK waters until 2026.
June Mummery, the former MEP for East of England and founder of Renaissance of the East Anglian Fisheries, launched a furious attack against the former Prime Minister and the Conservative Party Government, accusing them of “stealing the opportunities and aspirations” of some of the UK’s biggest fishing towns.
She claimed that many UK fishermen are now “skint and on the bones of their backsides” following the Brexit deal and accused Mr Johnson of “lying to us all.”
The fishing industry is not alone in feeling betrayed, as coastal communities are also feeling stabbed in the back. Ms Mummery believes that Boris has literally stolen all of their opportunities and aspirations, and that the industry is just about finished.
Shortly after the trade deal with the EU was signed, Mr Johnson admitted that some concessions had been made to Brussels but insisted that the UK would have “full control” of its waters for the first time since 1973.
He promised that the UK’s share of fish in its waters would rise substantially from roughly half today to closer to two-thirds in five-and-a-half years’ time. However, it seems that the reality of the Brexit deal is very different from what was promised.
