Britain said on Sunday it will withdraw from a 50-year-old agreement allowing some foreign countries to fish close to the UK coastline, fulfilling a key Brexit pledge. The deal was made before Britain joined the EU so would still have applied after the split from the bloc is complete.
Britain will today trigger a two-year withdrawal period from the agreement, the London Fisheries Convention.
The convention allows vessels from five European countries – Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland and the Netherlands – to fish within an area six miles off Britain’s coastline.
“Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy,” Environment Secretary Michael Gove said.
The agreement is in force alongside the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy – allowing vessels from EU member states to fish between 12 and 200 nautical miles off the UK – which Britain will be excluded from after its exit from the bloc.