The SNP has accused the Labour government of delivering a staggering 83% cut to Scotland’s share of a Westminster fishing fund, prompting urgent calls for answers in the House of Commons this morning, led by SNP MP Seamus Logan.
The £360 million UK-wide Fishing and Coastal Communities Fund, intended to replace previous EU funding, will allocate just £28 million to Scotland, despite the country historically receiving 46% of EU fisheries support based on the size of its industry.
Labour has opted to distribute the fund using the Barnett formula, which is population-based, not industry-based, a move that sees Scotland’s portion shrink from the £166 million sought by the Scottish Government to a fraction of that total.
The result is a massive funding boost for England’s proportionally smaller fishing sector, while Scotland’s coastal communities are left reeling from what the SNP has called a deliberate political decision to marginalise them.
Speaking after raising the matter directly in Parliament, Seamus Logan MP said:
“Today’s urgent question clearly showed that not only do the Labour Party’s sums not add up, their excuses don’t add up either.
“They have cut Scotland’s fair share of this fishing fund by 83% and they now have the brass neck to tell Scotland’s coastal communities that they should be somehow grateful.”
Logan went further, accusing Keir Starmer of following a familiar pattern of broken promises and centralised decision-making, saying:
“Keir Starmer is clearly taking the Boris Johnson approach on how to brazenly betray Scotland’s fishing industry.”
The SNP argues that this latest move highlights a recurring pattern of disregard from Westminster, pointing to the UK’s post-Brexit trade deals and departure from the single market as previous blows to Scotland’s marine economy.
While the fund is branded as a replacement for EU investment, critics say it fails to account for the scale and value of Scotland’s fishing sector, choosing a blunt formula over tailored support.
“This is another example of a broken Westminster system that doesn’t work for Scotland,” Logan said.
“Coastal communities and rural Scotland are marginalised by a UK Government that is making decisions from afar, with little or no knowledge of the communities they are harming.”
With over £300 million now flowing to England’s fisheries, the SNP says the UK Government is knowingly tilting the playing field, giving English boats and processors a financial edge while leaving Scottish ports short-changed.
Logan closed his remarks with a pointed message, declaring:
“The only way we can guarantee Scotland’s fishing industry will always get the deal it deserves is with the fresh start of independence.”
