Boris Johnson says his Christmas gift to Nicola Sturgeon is the 'hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish' Scotland will be the 'proud possessors of' from January 1 because of Brexit
Boris Johnson today said his Christmas gift to Nicola Sturgeon is the 'hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish' Scotland will become the 'proud possessor of' in the New Year because of Brexit.
The Prime Minister said he was unaware of whether the Scottish First Minister is a 'keen fish eater'.
But he insisted the UK's departure from the EU and Britain becoming an independent coastal state will mean she has more fish 'than she can possibly consume herself for a very, very long time to come'.
The comments are unlikely to be well received by Ms Sturgeon given her staunch opposition to Brexit.
Boris Johnson today said his Christmas gift to Nicola Sturgeon is the 'hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish' Scotland will become the 'proud possessor of' in the New Year because of Brexit
The comments are unlikely to be well received by Ms Sturgeon given her staunch opposition to Brexit
Mr Johnson made the comments during a Downing Street coronavirus press conference this afternoon after he was asked what Christmas gift he had got for Ms Sturgeon.
The PM said: ‘As for a present for Nicola, there is all sorts of things that will arise naturally from the UK getting a new relationship with our friends in the European Union.
‘But one thing that may be of particular interest to the people of Scotland is they will become the proud possessors of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish, shellfish, crustaceans.
‘I don’t know whether Nicola is a keen fish eater but she will have more than she can possibly consume herself for a very, very long time to come. How about that?’
The 'standstill' post-Brexit transition period will come to an end on December 31 and from that point on the UK will be in full control of its coastal waters.
Britain will have the right to determine who fishes in its waters and how much they are allowed to catch.
However, the exact rules which will govern fishing in the New Year are yet to be put in place because the UK and the EU are still arguing over the matter as part of trade talks.
The UK will become an independent coastal state on January 1 after the 'standstill' post-Brexit transition period ends and it will be able to decide who fishes in its waters
Downing Street has made clear that UK trawlers will be given priority access.
Ms Sturgeon is a vocal opponent of Brexit and she has made clear that if Scotland votes for independence in the coming years she would seek to immediately take the country back into the EU.
The SNP leader has repeatedly clashed with Mr Johnson on both Brexit and Scottish independence in recent years.
Ms Sturgeon wants a second referendum on splitting up the UK to take place after Holyrood elections next May but Mr Johnson is refusing to grant permission for a re-run of the 2014 poll.