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Brexit: Scottish Secretary David Mundell backs Brexit deal | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Scottish Secretary David Mundell has backed the draft Brexit deal despite concerns about its impact on the fishing industry. | |
Emerging from a five-hour cabinet meeting, he said the alternative of a no-deal would be "disastrous" for Scotland. | |
He said he was clear the UK would leave the Common Fisheries Policy in 2020. | |
Earlier he was among 13 Scottish Tory MPs who wrote to the prime minister seeking assurances on fishing. | |
Theresa May's cabinet collectively backed the withdrawal agreement, and it will now go to a vote in the House of Commons. | |
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon described it as "bad deal" for Scotland and predicted she would struggle to get it passed. | |
The letter to Theresa May from Scottish Conservative MPs came amid speculation that the UK's departure from the Common Fisheries Polices (CFP) could be delayed or watered down. | |
The CFP is deeply unpopular with Scottish fishermen who want the UK to be negotiating as an independent coastal state by the end of 2020. | |
The letter reminded the prime minister she had promised this would happen and that anything less than this would be a "betrayal of Scotland". | |
It went on to say: "This has raised expectations in the fishing industry that Brexit will lead to complete control and full sovereignty over domestic waters that we must deliver on. | |
"In order to deliver on these expectations, we could not support an agreement with the EU that would prevent the UK from independently negotiating access and quota shares. | "In order to deliver on these expectations, we could not support an agreement with the EU that would prevent the UK from independently negotiating access and quota shares. |
"That would mean that we would not be leaving the CFP in practice, and would become an independent coastal state in name only". | "That would mean that we would not be leaving the CFP in practice, and would become an independent coastal state in name only". |
The letter was welcomed by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, whose chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: "The prime minister has made a series of commitments to the industry and anything less than the fulfilment of those means the Sea of Opportunity will not be realised and makes 'no deal' a more attractive option." | The letter was welcomed by the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, whose chief executive Bertie Armstrong said: "The prime minister has made a series of commitments to the industry and anything less than the fulfilment of those means the Sea of Opportunity will not be realised and makes 'no deal' a more attractive option." |
Mr Mundell and Scottish Conservative leader Ruth Davidson, who is on maternity leave, have previously written to Mrs May warning they would not support any deal that gave Northern Ireland a different arrangement to the rest of the UK on the single market and customs union. | |
They fear that making a special case for Northern Ireland while rejecting calls to do the same for Scotland would be a political gift to the SNP, and could fuel the case for independence. |