The new fisheries agreement between the UK and EU "doesn’t hand over a single extra fish to the EU", Melanie Onn has said.
As part of the UK-EU deal announced on May 19, the two sides agreed to keep the current status quo, giving EU boats continued access to UK waters until 2038. The Brexit 2020 deal saw the UK regain 25 per cent of the EU's fishing quotas, and was due to run out next year.
Reform UK Cllr Oliver Freeston (Croft Baker Ward) has criticised the deal and claimed the Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP "has failed to speak up on this critical issue". Ms Onn has said she met the Fisheries Minister shortly after the deal's announcement, stressing "our fishers must never be treated as bargaining chips".
While the fishing fleets of Grimsby and Hull are no more, the seafood processing sector remains a pivotal part of the North East Lincolnshire economy. Made Great in Grimsby suggests the seafood sector is worth more than £1.5bn to the region.
"Melanie Onn has failed to speak up on this critical issue, letting down the families who depend on our fishing industry," argued Cllr Freeston. He claimed a decision had been made for EU fishermen to replace British trawlers, and "her silence" effectively endorsed it.
"Since returning to Parliament, I’ve consistently raised the concerns of the fishing industry in Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes," Ms Onn has said to Grimsby Live in response. This includes not only speeches in the House of Commons, but also directly with ministers, and as co-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Fisheries.
"I was one of the first to meet with the Fisheries Minister following the UK–EU deal, pushing for greater transparency and making it absolutely clear that our fishers must never be treated as bargaining chips. I’ve also recently brought the Minister to the constituency to meet local processors and industry leaders directly. We even went for fish and chips at Steels," she said.
"This deal doesn’t hand over a single extra fish to the EU, quotas remain capped, with restricted access to waters." Instead, it delivered stability, she argued, and a new £360m fishing and coastal growth fund that will invest in coastal communities like Grimsby and Cleethorpes.
Ms Onn said the deal was "a real boost for fish processing jobs; something that matters deeply to our local economy, supporting around 6,000 livelihoods". She added: "With unnecessary EU red tape gone, we are now in a stronger position to export more fish to Europe and support jobs right across the Humber."
Ms Onn added, in a swipe at Reform UK's renewable energy scepticism: "The Reform UK Party should stop talking everything down and focus on our whole local economy, starting by committing to protect the 12,000 green energy jobs we’ve worked so hard to bring to our region."
Cllr Freeston shared sight of an email exchange with Ms Onn in the weeks leading up to the UK-EU deal announcement, where he expressed "deep concern" of more of the fishing quota going to the EU in any deal. "That’s why I’m pleading with you to raise your voice, both loudly and publicly, and urge Keir Starmer not to give an inch more of our waters or our fish away," he wrote.
In an extensive reply, Ms Onn said the new Government had promoted multiple initiatives to support the UK's fishing industry. This included "a progressive Quota Application Mechanism, rewarding fishers who invest in environmental sustainability, local employment, and vessel safety improvements".
She wrote Grimsby and Cleethorpes had been fed for a decade "a kettle of empty promises" on fishing, including Nigel Farage heralding a return to Grimsby's seafaring past during the EU referendum. "Let's build on our strong foundation as the nation's capital for seafood processing and continue to create jobs," she wrote.
Cllr Freeston said he is determined to challenge to be the next Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP at the next general election. He said Reform UK would scrap the deal reached with the EU.
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