We all know what is needed to get back on top of coronavirus - keeping any interaction with people outside of our household to an absolute minimum (i.e maintaining social distancing) and hand washing, face coverings in enclosed spaces etc.
The Prime Minister can lead the nation to conquer covid-19 but it will require winning back the confidence of the British public. This is best done by providing clear sound information and then trust on people’s good sense.
If the Tier System is the correct approach the reason for every measure and restriction must be explained and backed in robust evidence to demonstrate its worth. Otherwise Government’s infringements on people’s freedoms leads to frustration and mass flouting of perceived overly strict rules. Boris is at his best when he explains the case clearly, making us aware of the risks, and then trusts the British public to use our judgment. I hope this will be his approach during 2021.
The agreement setting out the UK’s future relationship with the EU is remarkable in many ways and it does seem to demonstrate that those of us who repeatedly said (since the referendum) that the EU will not want to lose our trade were justified.
I’m glad we have a Free Trade Agreement in place. It required the Prime Minister and his team making it clear that leaving without a deal was something the UK Government was prepared to do and the agreement we have with the EU is unequalled.
The agreement confirms that the UK can trade with no tariffs or quotas. Our internal market (including NI) is for us to determine, the deal takes us out of the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and there is no legal requirement for us to follow EU law.
The agreement itself recognises the UK’s sovereignty over our waters (which is welcome although the reality is that this was never in dispute as far as international law is concerned). The devil is in the detail and I am seeking further clarification on what has actually been agreed in regards to who has access to UK waters.
If the deal allows us to build a significant and prosperous fishing sector around the UK, bringing with it the revival of coastal communities, then I, and more importantly fishermen themselves, have reason to be satisfied. However, the length of the transition (until 2026) is concerning and it’s not absolutely clear that, what we will have in 2026 is the share of fish in UK waters the fishing community has been led to expect.
It is the case that the UK has sovereignty in that we can withdraw from the fisheries arrangement but the EU can penalise us when we look to export the fish into the EU. The deal requires future Governments to have a similar resolve in its support of UK fishing as this Government which is not an ideal outcome.
My early conclusion is that to make this deal work for fishermen the Government must invest heavily in the UK fishing sector to build the fleet and processing infrastructure onshore and demonstrate that they are able and willing to stand firm against foreign vessels that abuse the rules. This will continue to be my robust ask of Government.
Finally, I genuinely wish the very best for 2021 and that we can ride what ever waves comes our way!
