‘Spectacular hypocrisy’ Boris Johnson slaps down Blackford over Scot fishing betrayal

Brexit: Boris Johnson shuts down Ian Blackford’s fishing comments

Boris Johnson insisted the Brexit trade deal struck with the European Union last week will return full control of waters to Scottish fishermen. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford insisted the Scottish fishing communities however had been betrayed as he reiterated his party’s commitment to rejoining the EU as an independent nation. But the Prime Minister slammed Mr Blackford for the SNP’s “spectacular hypocrisy”, saying: “I do feel I must correct him because not only will we take back control of our waters, we will increase Scottish shares of all the relevant stocks.

“And in five years’ time, we take control of the entire spectacular marine wealth.

“It is only the Scottish nationalist party that would hand back control of the waters of this country with spectacular hypocrisy.”

Mr Johnson said: “That is their policy and they plan to ensnare Scotland’s fishing fleet in the dragnets of the Common Fisheries policy all over again.

“And, in the meantime, guess what they’re going to do today – they’re going to vote today for a no-deal Brexit.”

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Mr Johnson continued: “This deal was negotiated by a big team, and (SNP MP David Linden) should know this, from every part of our United Kingdom, and it serves the whole of the UK – not least by protecting the integrity of the United Kingdom single internal market and Northern Ireland’s place within it.”

Mr Johnson added: “As for the leader of the Opposition (Sir Keir Starmer), I am delighted that he has found yet another position on Brexit and having plunged down every blind alley and exhausted every possible alternative, he has come to the right conclusion – namely to vote for this agreement which this Government has secured.”

The SNP Westminster leader took issue with the Prime Minister calling his party “nationalist” and demanded a retraction, to which Mr Johnson said he had been using the term “with a lower-case n.”

READ MORE: Boris hails ‘sovereign control’ has been returned as Britain starts ‘historic new chapter’

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel signed the agreement before the debate begun in the British Parliament on Wednesday morning.

Reacting to the news, a UK Government source told Express.co.uk: “This is a historic day for Britain.”

MEPs will be debating the agreement later on Wednesday with the deal expected to be formally ratified by the EU Parliament later this month.

The occasion comes after the EU governments approved the deal on Tuesday paving the way for its provisional application from Jan 1st allowing the deal to be introduced.