Brexit news latest – British patrol boat boards Irish trawler in first post-Brexit fishing clash
AN Irish trawler was barred from fishing in UK waters by a patrol boat in the first post-Brexit fishing clash.
The Northern Celt's skipper was told he was no longer allowed to fish around Rockall - 260 miles west of Scotland's Western Isles.
He said the area is has now been blacklisted from counts for 30 per cent of his annual catch.
Throughout Brexit negotiations, fishing was one of the main sticking points.
But Dublin has never recognised the UK's claims of sovereignty over Rockall - sparking clashes over the fishing waters that surround it.
Skipper Adrian McClenaghan told RTE News: "They informed us we could no longer fish inside the 12 mile limit of Rockall."
The news comes as a number of EU firms refused to deliver products to the UK claiming post-Brexit tax rules make it too expensive.
And some deliveries to Northern Ireland have been delayed since Christmas, with delivery operators "uncertain" of new rules post-Brexit, according to the BBC.
Follow all the latest news and reaction to the end of the transition period in our live blog below...
SIR TONY
Tony Blair is being lined up for a knighthood to “unblock” a queue of former PMs waiting for titles.
It would open the way for Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Theresa May to receive top honours.
Buckingham Palace officials have become concerned there is a political imbalance which has seen Tory MPs land the lion’s share of the accolades.
Sources say efforts to hand Mr Brown the Order of the Garter have stalled as the Queen is unwilling to give the same title to Mr Blair because of anger at his handling of the death of Princess Diana.
All but one of the Queen’s nine prime ministers before Blair were made Knights of the Garter, an honour created by Edward III in 1348.
A source said: “Blair is the block but they just won’t do it.”
CONTINUED
But Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove warned time was “very short” as he acknowledged there were likely to be some “bumpy moments” as the new arrangements came into effect.
However, he rejected increasingly angry claims from Britain’s fishermen that Boris had failed to deliver on promises made in the referendum campaign.
Under the terms of the agreement, 25 per cent of EU boats’ fishing rights in Britain’s waters will be transferred to the UK fishing fleet, over a five-and-half year transition period.
Mr Gove said: “I think it is fair to say that we are in a stronger position than we were in the EU and in the common fisheries policy.
BACK IN BUSINESS
Britain's bustling firms can get down to business now the UK has secured the Brexit deal, a top Tory says.
Business Secretary Alok Sharma told our readers firms will be able to flourish with clarity and certainty and take full advantage of a wave of new opportunities coming from fresh trade agreements.
Writing in The Sun, he calls it “a deal which will see the United Kingdom thrive outside the EU and cement its place as the best place in the world to start, grow and run a business.”
It comes as EU ambassadors gave provisional approval for the deal yesterday.
PM Boris Johnson spoke with European Council president Charles Michel yesterday, and then tweeted: “I welcomed the importance of the UK/EU Agreement as a new starting point for our relationship, between sovereign equals.”
MINISTERS MEET WITH FISHING REPRESENTATIVES AS BREXIT APPROACHES
The Taoiseach has pledged to work to support Ireland's fishing industry and coastal communities as Brexit approaches.
Micheal Martin led a meeting of ministers with representatives from the sector on Monday.
It came as EU ambassadors gave provisional approval for the UK's post-Brexit trade deal to be implemented from Friday.
MPs are set to vote on the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on Wednesday.
Access to fishing waters post-Brexit was a live issue throughout the negotiations.
The Taoiseach acknowledged the "severe impact" that the outcome of the Brexit negotiations would have on the fishing industry in Ireland, and the disappointment expressed by the representative bodies.
He said that the Government was fully committed to engaging with the representative bodies and working with and for the sector and coastal communities in the coming period.
The Cabinet is due to discuss the matter later on Monday.