The government is promising to 'take back control of UK waters'

The shadow of Nigel Farage is still chasing politicians as they wend their way towards Brexit, and it has chased Environment Secretary Michael Gove almost 600 miles from Westminster to Peterhead.

Mr Gove was in Scotland to launch the UK's new fisheries policy, almost two years after former UKIP leader Mr Farage declared that taking back control of matters pescatorial would be the "first test" of whether Brexit means Brexit.

Isolated coastal communities that voted Leave in big numbers are now assured that the first test will be passed.

"The government's blueprint for taking back control of UK waters" is how Mr Gove's department heralded the new plan.

Image: Nigel Farage claimed fishing would be the 'first test' of Brexit

One of its ideas is to hold back a portion of fishing quotas to hand over to boats only when they run out; which sounds like an employer keeping some of the workers' pay until they complain they can't pay their bills.


The new policy also explains we will keep more foreign boats out of more water near our shores and, in theory at least, land more fish.

But, the industry makes up 0.05% of GDP, so if leaving the EU will boost the economy as Brexiteers insist it will, fishing will not make a significant contribution.

Image: Michael Gove made a visit to Scotland to launch the new policy

Imagining, say, a 10% uplift (instead of the £15bn a year downturn forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility) Peterhead, Scotland's second biggest fishing fleet employer, could look forward to almost 40 new jobs.

By way of contrast, 10% more employment at the UK's second biggest car plant (Jaguar Landrover in Solihull) would be 600 jobs, but the car industry is worried about Brexit and ministers are thin on the ground.

It was UKIP-fuelled emotion, not rational economics, that drove Mr Gove to Aberdeenshire to reaffirm fishing as the poster boy for taking back control.

As welcome as those 40 imaginary jobs would be in Peterhead, ministers know that in the real world they will not solve any of its Brexit problems any time soon.