Video
James O'Brien schools Brexiteer who refuses to accept new EU-UK trade rules
James O'Brien - Credit: LBC
James O'Brien has schooled a Brexiteer refusing to accept new trade rules between the EU and the UK.
Simon from Sevenoaks said taking back control of British waters was a major reason for his decision to vote Brexit but that he now feels disappointed it has resulted in the end of frictionless trade with the EU.
Simons' comments come as lorry-loads of live seafood destined for restaurants and shops in the EU are being rejected because they are taking too long to arrive due to new Brexit checks.
Reports have also emerged of Scottish fishermen unloading their catch in Danish ports. Meanwhile, the boss of a world-renowned seafood company has vowed to dump rotten stock in front of Downing Street if the situation for fishermen does not improve soon.
Frustrated by what he was witnessing, Simon said he had voted for Brexit so UK politicians could "dictate what trawlers catch what fish in our waters."
O'Brien asked him if he understood why this now was not possible and Simon admitted he did not.
"Because the massive majority of the fish that we eat is caught by foreign fleets," O'Brien said, adding, "why do you think the National Federation of Fishermans Organisations is so furious?"
"Because there's increased bureaucracy and increased paperwork because the European Union are finding it difficult to accept common terms," Simon said.
Most Read
- 1 Tory Brexiteers demand Northern Ireland Protocol is scrapped
- 2 Battle lines drawn between old rivals Johnson and Gove
- 3 French diplomat brands Boris Johnson 'a liar' who will blame Brexit costs on Covid
- 4 Boris Johnson: Liar of the land
- 5 The end of Britain is nigh: Here's how, when and why...
- 6 Campaign urges Brits to declare themselves 'European' on 2021 census
- 7 Boris Johnson replaces Downing Street's Union unit
- 8 Winning court cases won't stop the Tories... it's time for a change in tactics
- 9 Joe Biden's pick for trade envoy wants to ‘review’ negotiations with UK
- 10 David Lammy: Don't fall for the right's culture wars trap
O'Brien explained the increased bureaucracy was an "inevitable consequence" of leaving the EU single market.
When Simon asked why exporting fish had become so difficult "over a day", O'Brien said: "If you were to resign your membership of a club today, tomorrow your relationship with that club would be very different."
Simon, who was becoming increasingly confounded, asked why the EU were rejecting "trade-able goods that they want".
"The benefits of membership are confined to members," O'Brien said, adding that the UK no longer had parity with EU members.
Become a Supporter
The New European is proud of its journalism and we hope you are proud of it too. We believe our voice is important - both in representing the pro-EU perspective and also to help rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.