Keir Starmer Accused of ‘Selling Out’ Fishermen Amid EU Waters Access Controversy

Sir Keir Starmer is facing mounting backlash from fishermen and opposition MPs after appearing to sideline a key international treaty that could have strengthened the UK’s control over its fishing waters. The controversy follows renewed UK-EU cooperation under Starmer’s leadership, which critics claim has left British fishermen with significantly reduced quotas.

At the centre of the debate is the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which the UK signed and which came into force in 1994. This treaty grants coastal states — in this case, the UK — exclusive economic rights within a 200-nautical-mile zone around their coastline, known as the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

According to Article 56 of UNCLOS, coastal states have the “sovereign right for the purpose of exploring and exploiting, conserving and managing the natural resources” in their EEZs. Article 62 goes further, allowing coastal nations to determine their capacity to harvest marine life and impose conditions on foreign nationals fishing in their waters.

However, Article 62 also requires that if the coastal state is unable to fully harvest the allowable catch, it must grant access to the surplus through agreements — a clause the EU used in negotiating access to UK waters. Initially, the EU demanded permanent access, but eventually settled on a 12-year deal.

Many British fishermen believe the current arrangement amounts to a betrayal. Paul Fishburn, a sixth-generation fisherman from Scarborough, told GB News, “We’ve had all our quotas taken off us. We used to get maybe a tonne, two tonnes a month for our little boat. Now it’s a few kilos… a box a month or so. You can’t really target fishing anymore. Of course, the French and the Spanish are allowed to take what they want, so there’s basically nothing left for us.”

Opposition leaders echoed the concerns. Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused Starmer of “selling our fishermen down the river,” questioning his motives in allowing continued EU access. “This is a Prime Minister who would pay to give away his family silver,” she said in Parliament. “Why is the Prime Minister selling our fishermen down the river? Is it because they don’t vote Labour?”

Defending the government’s position, Economic Secretary to the Treasury Emma Reynolds insisted Labour had safeguarded the industry. “We have protected the fishing industry from tariffs,” she told the People’s Channel. “We’ve given the industry longer-term certainty and brought down trade barriers, making it cheaper and easier for fishermen and women who export to the EU.”

The debate continues as coastal communities watch closely, hoping for changes that might revive their once-thriving industry.

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