EU to 'demand access to UK fishing waters' in exchange for closer relationship with Britain, new headache for Sir Keir Starmer's new Labour government

The European Union will demand access to British waters in return for a renewed relationship with Britain – but such a move could cause a headache for Sir Keir Starmer amid claims by British fishermen that they are “trading their rights”.

Labour has made no secret of its desire to forge closer ties with Europe and last week hosted a meeting of dozens of European leaders at Blenheim Palace.

The Prime Minister welcomed several Prime Ministers including Emmanuel Macron, Olaf Scholz, Pedro Sanchez and Giorgia Meloni for the meeting of the European Political Community, which discussed trade, security, foreign policy and immigration.

However, senior Eurocrats have warned that any talks with the EU about a renewed relationship would be used to pursue their “offensive interests”.

This includes access to fisheries, as well as a deal allowing young European migrants unrestricted access to the UK.

The European Union will demand access to British waters in return for a renewed relationship with Britain – but such a move could cause headaches for Sir Keir Starmer amid accusations that British fishermen are “giving away their rights”. Pictured: Starmer with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez at the Blenheim Palace summit

Just before the general election, Sir Keir Starmer said:that “everything” in the post-Brexit relationship had to be renegotiated anddescribes the agreement reached by Boris Johnsonas “sloppy”.

He also vowed to find a “better” candidate if he won.Election.

Now at the head of the young Labour government, Sir Keir has been offered an EU-UK summit in Brussels by Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, to begin such negotiations.

Deal or no deal? Under the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal, 25% of the EU’s existing overall quota in UK waters will be transferred to the UK over a five-and-a-half year transition period until 30 June 2026 – but this could be reorganised under Labour

But what exactly will be on the agenda of the 27 EU prime ministers and presidents remains to be seen.

An EU official said: The telegraph“They need to figure out exactly what they want first, then come to us and we'll discuss it.”

According to European sources, fishing is likely to be at the top of the list.

French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron is keen to get a better deal from the EU given thatThe UK-EU fisheries agreement expires at the end of June 2026.

He told reporters at the EPC that any renegotiation should not become a “cherry-picking” of what was previously decided under Boris Johnson.

Macron said: “This must obviously respect what was decided at the time and must not be a kind of cherry picking.”

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was more conciliatory, saying: “It is too early to go into details, but there is a willingness to resolve every issue that needs to be resolved in order to have good relations.”

Before the election, senior Eurocrats had predicted that fisheries would be a priority in all negotiations with the EU.

One of them told The Times in June:“If a new government wants new trade negotiations, France will ensure that all trade negotiations of the European Commission are linked to fisheries.

“The problem for Britain is that the marine protected areas are where the fish are that the French, and others, want to catch.”

Under the post-Brexit UK-EU trade deal, 25% of the EU's existing overall quota in UK waters will be transferred to the UK over a five-and-a-half year transition period until 30 June 2026.

French Prime Minister Emmanuel Macron is said to be keen to secure a better deal from the EU side given that the UK-EU fisheries agreement expires at the end of June 2026.

After 2026, negotiations on access and stock sharing will take place on an annual basis, although multi-year agreements are possible.

Labour will be tasked with these issues if it wins the election, as well as the broader trade pact review due next year.

British diplomats expressed alarm last month when the EU, under pressure mainly from France, began pushing to begin fisheries negotiations and triggered a dispute settlement mechanism over British marine environmental protection measures.

Looking for a better deal? Lord Frost, Mr Johnson's chief negotiator for the post-Brexit trade deal, warned in June that “if the EU gives you something, they want something in return…”

In April, the European Commission also presented a proposal on “youth mobility”, which notably requires that there be no limit on the number of people aged 18 to 30 coming to work or study for four years, with full rights to bring family members to Britain.

Lord Frost, Mr Johnson's chief negotiator for the post-Brexit trade deal, warned in June that “if the EU gives you something, it wants something in return…”

During his election campaign, Sir Keir sought to play down any potential Brexit backlash on fishing rights and said he recognised their importance to British fishermen.

He said at the time: “I'm not going to enter into negotiations that haven't even started yet.

“But I know how important it is to defend our fishing rights and how important it is to our fishing communities.

“I think they feel like they've been abandoned because they've been told they're going to get a better deal than they got, and we're not going to let them down and give away their rights, because that access and that fishing is essential to those communities.

“And I think right now they feel like they've been very disappointed.”

Although Labour's manifesto said it would not rejoin the bloc's single market, customs union or allow freedom of movement again, it pledged to “deepen ties” with Brussels.