London offered up four. And in the end, they settled on 12.
The giveaway, pounced on by critics, is a political gamble for Starmer, who appears to be trading a hit to a relatively small by symbolic part of the U.K. economy for wins elsewhere.
The decision immediately gave euroskeptics like Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage and embattled Tory chief Kemi Badenoch a clear line of attack.
Farage declared the agreement “the end of the fishing industry” while Badenoch branded it a “sell-out.” Euroskeptic parts of the British press are already following their lead, and even Johnson himself re-emerged to rubbish it in colorful terms.
While downplaying the idea that fishing communities will be severely hit, and offering up both some fresh investment and an easing of food checks as a sweetener, Starmer is hoping his wins in other policy areas will catch Brits’ attention.
In getting the green light for a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement and re-entry into the internal electricity market, the U.K. has effectively been allowed to break one of Brussels’ cardinal Brexit rules: no “cherry-picking.”