Michael Gove will fight to secure the best possible Brexit deal for UK fishermen

MICHAEL Gove is “proud” of British fishermen and will “secure” them the best possible deal as he will not be “dictated to” by Brussels.

The new Environment Secretary is set to meet key figures from the fishing industry after he promised to listen to their “real priorities” with Brexit negotiations underway.

Speaking ahead of his visit to Peterhead in Scotland, Mr Gove said: “The UK is a proud fishing nation and this industry is crucial for many coastal communities around the Scottish coast and Northern Isles.

“That is why I made sure one of my first visits as Environment Secretary was to Peterhead, famous for its fishing heritage, to hear directly from fishermen about what their real priorities are in the upcoming negotiations.

“As we negotiate our exit from the European Union, I am determined to secure the best possible deal, making sure we have a sustainable and profitable industry for today's fishermen and the next generation.”

Mr Gove said that while EU membership has helped improve environmental standards and encouraged rural diversification, it had had a harmful impact in other areas and the UK's exit from the common agricultural policy meant the UK would no longer be “dictated to” by Brussels.

He added: “We now have an opportunity to put things right.”

In the Queen’s Speech, Theresa May unveiled plans for a Fisheries Bill that will deliver on a clear pledge by Leave campaigners to “take back control” of British waters.

Jimmy Buchan, business manager at the Scottish Seafood Association, said: “We're delighted to see the appointment of Michael Gove as Environment Secretary due to his strong connections with Scotland, Aberdeenshire and the processing sector.

“We look forward to working with him to make sure we get a good deal out of Brexit - that means a thriving fishing industry, with a processing sector that supports the communities we live in.”

It follows comments by David Coburn, a Scottish MEP, who told the European Committee on Fisheries that UK fishing grounds should be returned after Brexit.

Mr Coburn said: “Let’s be very frank and listen to what everyone has been saying, it’s very simple, there’s not a problem here.

“The fish are not going to go away. All that Scotland and Great Britain as a whole want, are the rights to fish our own fish, and sell them to you and why not?

“And the businesses of canning or smoking or whatever should be conducted in Great Britain, it should be making money for Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales, not for the rest of the people in Europe, that is not what it’s all about.

“That’s all I’m saying, we are not changing things in any way it is just that we want our fishing grounds back.

“Britain was conned into the European Union… our fishing grounds were given away, to get into this awful mess which we are now in.

“We are now leaving and we want our fishing grounds back.”