Rachel Reeves: SNP in absurd position over criticism of EU-UK fisheries deal
Speaking at Treasury questions, Mr Doogan asked in the Commons: 'What changes will the Chancellor introduce in the spring statement to compensate for the growth-threatening Sword of Damocles she has just placed over the Scottish fishing industry?
'She should know, but probably doesn't, that 70% of revenue from fishing and agriculture comes from Scotland.
'She should know, but probably doesn't, that the fishing industry in Scotland is 50 times larger for Scotland's economy than the UK.
'So can she explain what discussions did she have with the Scottish Fishermen's Federation or the Scottish Government before making this damaging decision?'
Ms Reeves replied: 'I was very pleased that the Scottish Salmon Association welcomed the trade deal that we secured with the EU yesterday, and 70% of the fish that is caught in UK waters is sold into European markets.'
She added: 'The SNP are now in an absurd situation where they support Reform and the Tories in opposing the deal with the EU.'
Elsewhere at Treasury questions, Liberal Democrat MP Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) raised concerns over the visitor levy in Scotland.
The 5% charge will apply to those staying in hotels, bed and breakfasts, and other forms of accommodation, including holiday lets.
Mr Stone said: 'Scottish councils now have the power to introduce a tourism levy. This has gone down extremely badly with the hospitality sector and in particular they fear a tax on a tax – a tax would be VAT.
'Could I ask the Government to look at zero rating this in the event that a tourism levy is introduced?'
Ms Reeves replied: 'I want to welcome tourists to Great Britain and Northern Ireland and that's why we're securing trade deals with countries around the world, showing that we as a country are open for business.
'In the end it's up to the Scottish Government about what additional taxes they introduce. But as with income tax you can always see that the SNP never take the side of ordinary working people.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
25 minutes ago
- The National
Plans to create 'train station quarter' in Scottish city centre
Network Rail, in partnership with its joint venture development partner blocwork, is working on the plans to create "new commercial office space" and "enhanced station retail space" in the 0.75 ha (1.85 acre) lot. The scheme intends to create an "enhanced Station Quarter improving the experience and station environment" for the estimated 15m million customers that currently use Glasgow Queen Street every year. READ MORE: This Skye wind farm fight shows Scotland's national injustice over energy This is in addition to their plans to deliver new commercial office space which has the potential to support around 350 new jobs (direct, indirect and during construction). The Proposal of Application Notices (PAN) submitted to Glasgow City Council outline the proposals for: a new office building a new station entrance from North Hanover Street enhanced station retail space public spaces improve connectivity from the station to the new look George Square and 'The Avenues' public realm programmes currently in development The first phase of the development will include the delivery of office space, with future phases of the project potentially seeing the addition of more office and residential buildings, according to Network Rail. Robin Dobson, group property director for Network Rail, said: 'It's an exciting time for Glasgow as the city's recovery gains momentum with ambitious transformation and public realm projects being brought forward. "Aligning with Glasgow's 2030 City Centre Strategy, the plans unlock and transform disused railway land at the heart of the city, to enhance the station and create modern, connected spaces for people to live and work. The development is a great example of public and private sector collaboration, to deliver investment and community benefit. "It is a real statement of our confidence in Glasgow and the potential for continued future growth.' The design team for this project is led by Scottish-based architects, the Comprehensive Design Partnership (CDA), in collaboration with Arup. CDA projects span across the UK including MODA Edinburgh, Printworks Manchester and Old Brewery Brighton, while Arup was involved in the recent Glasgow Queen Street station development project. The PANs also detail how blocwork and Network Rail plan to engage with the local community regarding their proposal. As part of the statutory pre-application consultation process, a public consultation event will be held in the Autum to provide information about the proposal and to invite comments from stakeholders, customers and the community.
Finextra
26 minutes ago
- Finextra
Gemini secures MiCA license
Gemini has received its MiCA (Markets in Crypto Assets) license from the Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA), enabling us to empower the next era of financial, creative and personal freedom in Europe. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Receiving this approval marks a critical milestone in our regulated European expansion, as it will allow us to expand our secure and reliable crypto products for customers in over 30 European countries and jurisdictions. The MiCA regulatory framework is crucial for standardising crypto laws throughout EU member states, and we're confident it will help the region's crypto ecosystem to flourish sustainably. This approval comes in addition to receiving our MiFID II (Markets in Financial Instruments Directive) license to offer derivatives in May, making us a fully-compliant crypto trading platform in the EU. It follows our recent launch of tokenised stocks in the region, which are blockchain-based digital tokens representing company shares, available 24/5, and puts Gemini on track to launch exciting new products and services to retail and institutional customers, including derivatives. Today's announcement cements Gemini's long-standing dedication to upholding the highest standards of regulatory compliance as we scale in the region. We believe that clear regulation of the industry is the foundation of global crypto adoption, and MiCA's implementation has proven that Europe is one of the most innovative and forward-thinking regions regarding this.
The National
36 minutes ago
- The National
Over-simplication of complex problems serves to fuel division
What Mr Murphy calls 'distortion' is in fact critique. None of my points were addressed; instead he simply restated his position. This is itself part of the problem: binaries are defended not with engagement but with repetition, as if saying the same thing louder makes it more true. READ MORE: Scottish Government condemns asylum seeker rhetoric amid protests Britain has a long and well-documented history of home-grown homophobia, racism, and misogyny. Pretending otherwise, or suggesting prejudice is uniquely imported, is not 'honesty.' It is the selective construction of an enemy. Murphy claims to value equality and respect, but his framing quietly places suspicion at the feet of migrants, while allowing domestic forms of hate to pass as regrettable but somehow less urgent. This is precisely how far-right narratives gain traction: they present themselves as balanced while tilting the ground toward scapegoating. Jim Taylor's letter then takes this to its next step, invoking the well-worn trope that the 'original' LGB movement has been hijacked by trans people. This is not a neutral observation but a deliberate wedge tactic. Binary politics thrives on driving cracks into coalitions of solidarity, insisting that rights are a zero-sum game. Taylor claims lesbians are 'pilloried' for defending spaces, but omits the decades in which trans people have also fought for safety, dignity, and recognition – and won a modicum too, only to see it stripped away by legal nitpicking that's had more to do with inadequate provision of privacy in intimate public spaces than the sex-offending straw man of invasion. He also overlooks the fact that lesbians' opinions on trans rights are neither monolithic nor clearly antagonistic – with some regarding the claim as itself lesbophobic. Reducing trans lives to a 'piggy-backing' grievance is not protection; it is exclusion dressed up as defence. READ MORE: Duolingo apologises after German app calls JK Rowling 'cruel' This narrowing of debate is no accident. Binary framings like 'real versus fake', 'local versus imported', or 'LGB versus T' create ready-made sides. Once established, they punish anyone who questions the imposed over-simplification. To say 'this is more complex' becomes, in such an atmosphere, complicity or betrayal. That is why far-right and reactionary movements push binaries so hard: they delegitimise nuance itself. It is worth recalling Orwell's warning in 1984: 'Ignorance is Strength.' Today, conspiracy theorists and binary politicians invoke Orwell as if his words justify their rebellion, while embodying the very glorification of ignorance he warned against. Robust processes of inquiry – in science, law, and social policy – are dismissed as elitist, or even communist, while the loudest voices collapse concepts into caricatures: communism equals fascism, feminism equals man-hating, LGBT equals anti-women. This is not serious analysis. It is confusion repackaged as certainty. The irony is that many who shout loudest against immigration or LGBTQI+ equality claim to defend the UK's 'traditional' or 'Christian' values, yet they seem to know little of Christ's teachings – and embody fewer still. They champion crusaders and dragon-slayers as role models, not healers or peacemakers. Their Christianity is cultural shorthand for conquest, not compassion. That, too, is why their rhetoric slides so easily into binary politics: it prizes victory over empathy. Both Messrs Murphy and Taylor seek to cast themselves as guardians of honesty, but the effect of their letters is to narrow horizons, to position migrants and trans people as problems to be managed, and to cast doubt on those who insist on nuance. That is not honesty. It is manipulation through oversimplification. Scotland can do – and has done – better than this. If we want genuine safety and dignity, we must defend nuance and evidence, not abandon them. Ignorance paraded as enlightenment serves only those who thrive on division. Ron Lumiere via email
