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The prime minister has warned that the time has come to prepare for a Brexit no-trade deal unless the EU fundamentally changes its stance, bluntly telling Brussels that there is little point in having more talks. Johnson said: “I have come to the conclusion that we should prepare for January 1 with agreements more like Australia’s, based on simple principles of global free trade. With great hearts and with complete confidence, we will prepare to adopt the alternative and we will powerfully prosper it as an independent free trade nation, controlling and establishing our own laws. “
Fishing has proven to be a major hurdle since talks between the two parties opened nearly four years ago, with former Prime Minister Theresa May and now Johnson under pressure to strike a deal that satisfies the fishing community after Brexit.
Britain wants fishing quotas to be renegotiated annually, but the EU has argued that this would make it impossible for the industry to make investment decisions.
Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrat MP from Orkney and Shetland, accused both May and Johnson of breaking promises to the fishing industry by failing to include it in the Withdrawal Agreement and letting it be addressed as part of the Political Declaration.
He also accused both of not having “the political will to defend him in the Withdrawal Agreement”, and warned that the political consequences of betraying the fishing industry will be “quite serious.”
Carmichael told Express.co.uk: “The fishing industry has received a lot of Brexit promises and the most enthusiastic and campaigners for Brexit are now responsible for delivering on the promises they made.”
“If first Theresa May and then Boris Johnson had included fishing in the Withdrawal Agreement, rather than letting it be dealt with as part of the Political Declaration, then we would not find ourselves in this difficult situation. That is what was promised in El first place.
“Given the great importance that fishing has to my community and the importance that the industry places on the promises that were made, I hope they have the political will to endure, because the political consequences for any party that betrays the fishing industry now they will be quite severe. “
When asked if an unnecessary mess had been created by not including fishing in the Withdrawal Agreement and only the Political Declaration from the beginning, Mr. Carmichael replied: “Of course!
READ MORE: Brexit LIVE: 45 years as a member and not even the same terms as Canada!
Mr. Carmichael also accused the Conservative government of a “direct breach of a promise made to the industry” by leaving the fishery out of the Withdrawal Agreement.
He warned that they will have to deliver on their promises to the industry or face a “whirlwind.”
The Orkney and Shetland Democratic MP continued: “The decision to leave fisheries policy out of the Withdrawal Agreement was a clear breach of a promise made to the industry.
“Having broken their promises, they are now trying to fight to find a way to keep them.
“The jury is out on them: the importance of fishing in these negotiations is such that they are never going to bury this as a problem.”
“They have to keep their promises or back down, and if they do the latter, they will face a whirlwind.”
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