Navy patrol ships on standby to protect UK from EU’s fishy business
Four Royal Navy patrol ships are on standby for 1 January in case of a no-deal Brexit, ready to help to protect the UK’s fishing waters.
The 80-metre long armed vessels would have the power to halt, inspect and impound all EU fishing boats operating within the UK’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which can extend 200 miles from shore, the Guardian reported.
The patrol ships carry machine guns, but they would not be expected to use them against EU fishing boats.
In extreme cases, an EU boat could be impounded and taken to the nearest UK port. “Nobody is going to be firing warning shots against French fishermen; firearms are only used when there is danger to life,” a navy source told the Guardian.
Time is running out for the UK and the EU to agree a post-Brexit trade deal. On the last day of the year the Brexit transition period will end, and if the two sides have not reached an agreement, World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules will come into place by default at 11pm – midnight in Brussels.
Without a deal EU boats would be banned from fishing in the UK’s EEZ, and likewise UK boats would be banned from fishing in EU member waters.
The two largest barriers to securing a Brexit deal are future fisheries arrangements and the UK’s future state subsidy regime, which is a part of discussions over the so-called level playing field.
Earlier this week Boris Johnson flew to Brussels to meet EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, with hope of trying to hammer out a last minute deal one-on-one. Both sides have since said there is a strong likelihood of no-deal.
Leaving the EU on no-deal terms would be a disaster for the UK’s economy, with the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) predicting that this scenario would knock two per cent off the UK’s GDP growth next year.
This would come after a predicted 11.3 per cent drop in GDP this year – the largest contraction in 300 years.