I'm a fisherman of 40 years - a Starmer Brexit betrayal will kill British fishing ports

"I first went out on a boat when I was 12," says Matty Smith, looking out over the Thames Estuary in the southeast of England. After immediately "falling in love", the skipper has since enjoyed a 40-year career in the fishing industry.

Perhaps it's no surprise a man from the small town of Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, chose a life at sea. Leigh has made a name for itself as a fishing hub for nearly a thousand years, according to historical records, and the boats moored by the old town serve as a proud reminder of this history.

But, the thriving industry that helped put Leigh on the map is now a distant memory for Matty and his colleagues.

"It's quite bad at the moment," he tells the Daily Express. "We've got a port in Rye that is on a massive decline, and it's the same here."

Britain's once-booming fishing industry is now embattled in many parts of the country, and many fishermen place the blame squarely on the European Union (EU).

The bloc introduced the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in 1983 to manage fish stocks, setting the EU and UK on a decades-long collision course, culminating in the Brexit referendum of 2016.

Matty, like most fishermen, voted to leave the bloc in the hope that this would finally see Britain take back control of its waters. Fast-forward to 2025, and European boats are still plundering British waters up to six miles from the coast.

"We've got a problem, but it is worth saving," Matty said. "One thing we don't want to do is keep extending and giving away the rights of our national asset. It is the people’s money who live in this country and it's the people's food security. You keep letting people come over here, fill up, steam back to their own country and process it abroad. Everything inside the 12-mile limit should be landed and processed in this country."

He added that there has been an "influx" of big boats from northern Europe who "have hit it a lot harder" since Brexit, to take every last bit of stock.

While many have moved on from the old Brexit debate of 2016, for fishermen, the battle still rages on. Brussels and London agreed in the post-Brexit EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) that European boats would get continued access to British waters until June 2026 with a gradual 25% reduction in quota.

Now, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is in talks with Brussels over the arrangement past this deadline. According to reports, France wants permanent access to UK waters as opposed to annual negotiations on the issue.

The Labour Government has said there will be "no linkage" between fishing talks and discussions on other issues such as defence pacts, but Matty fears his industry could be sold out again.

Asked if he fears that Government could use concessions on fishing to secure other agreements, Matty said: "Yes I do, because it's an asset the public don't realise they even own, so they can sneak it through the back door. I think it will be used as a bargaining chip. And people in this country don't realise how many millions we will use.

Matty says that any concessions made to the EU on fishing would be a "a betrayal of the British people".

He continued: "The future of the industry is not looking good because we are all getting older, and if there's no money in the industry, you won't get the younger fishermen to take over from us to train as fishermen and skippers. Fishing ports will die and continue to die."

Matty is far from alone with this view. Mike Cohen, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), is warning the Government not to back down on fishing.

"It would be a betrayal," Mr Cohen says, referring to a scenario where the UK allows the EU permanent or long-term access to UK waters.

He continued: "The one saving grace of the Brexit deal was the hope we could use access to our resources to get something back.

"If we give that away, what are we left with? I struggle to see how that can be in the national interest. We won't be in anyway an independent coastal state then."

European boats currently take an estimated £450m-£500m worth of fish annually from UK waters. Meanwhile, British boats take just £75m worth from European waters.

This disparity is proof that European boats "have been living beyond their own means and their businesses depend on our waters," Mr Cohen added.

The NFFO chief says permanent access to UK waters for Europe would not only be a "catastrophe" for marine management, but it would effectively hand Brussels a veto on domestic legislation.

He warned: "We will just give Europe a loaded gun pointed at our heads. Europe would effectively have permanent control over our waters."

The south east of England is one of the hardest hit areas when it comes to European boats landing stock in British waters. The Labour Government's approach to talks will therefore have huge ramifications for Leigh-on-Sea and other fishing hubs.

Peter Little, a candidate for Reform in Southend West and Leigh who lost out to Labour's David Burton-Sampson at the last election, is certain that the Prime Minister will "sell-out" British fishermen.

Living in Leigh for over 40 years, he said: "It's just another sign of a Labour sell-out. They are trying to undo Brexit by stealth. I am certain he will sacrifice the fisheries as a sweetener for the reset with the EU."

As Matty prepares to head out again to land cockles and whitebait off the southeast coast of England, his message to the country is clear.

"You all need to go to your MPs and say, 'if you are going to give our rights away, we will not vote for you anymore. Whichever government is brave enough to take it on and save this country, we will vote for them."

DEFRA has been approached for comment