Tories 'will take Britain out of EU fishing policy'

Struan Stevenson, a Tory Party MEP, will tonight claim that the party would have no other option given that the Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition has shown themselves "unable" to represent Scottish fishermen in Brussels.

"At present, the Scottish Executive is opposed to scrapping the CFP and repatriating control of our fisheries to the UK," he is expected to tell a meeting of the Conservative Policy Unit, in Aberdeen.

"If they maintain that position then I hope that while we are negotiating our withdrawal from the CFP, it will be the Conservative Secretary of State for Scotland who will represent Scottish fishermen in the Council of Ministers in Brussels. I say that because, sadly, Liberal Democrat and Labour ministers at the Scottish Executive have shown themselves unable and unwilling to stand up for the interests of our fishermen at repeated council meetings."

The comments by Mr Stevenson provoked an angry reaction from both the Executive and the SNP.

Allan Wilson, the deputy fisheries minister, insisted the only way forward was to work within Europe and the CFP.

"It is quite clear that the only way to ensure a sustainable future for our fishing industry is to use our influence to reform the current CFP management system from within," he said.

"It is time for those with an anti-Europe agenda to stop using the fishing industry as a political pawn. Recent reports have recognised that the industry’s future lies within the CFP."

Mr Wilson called on all those who genuinely had the interests of the industry at heart to fall in behind that position and work within the current framework to deliver improvements.

Richard Lochhead, the SNP’s fisheries spokesman, admitted that the CFP was outdated, but insisted Scotland rather than Westminster should have control of its fisheries. "The CFP is past its sell-by date and it should be scrapped, but it seems Mr Stevenson wants to take that further and scrap the democratic process," he said. "He wants Westminster to dictate to Scotland, when what we need is Scotland to be running her own fishing industry.

"Labour and Conservative Westminster governments have betrayed Scotland’s fishermen year after year. What Mr Stevenson has revealed is that the Tories have still not realised that only when Scotland controls her own affairs will the fishermen get a fair deal."

In his speech to the policy unit, Mr Stevenson will also launch a broadside at European government in general and reiterate calls not to sign up to the new EU constitution.

"The new socialist regime in Madrid wants to be loved by Paris and Berlin and has withdrawn any objections to the constitution, leaving Poland isolated. They too have now capitulated," he will warn.

"So we can expect the signatures of all 25 prime ministers appended to the European constitution. Tony Blair is prepared to commit Britain to this new constitution, which will, for the first time, enshrine the primacy of EU law.

"The key problem of this constitution is that, contrary to what the government claims, it does not clearly define the powers of the EU institutions as distinct from the powers of the member states."

Mr Stevenson will argue the proposed constitution would lead to the "inexorable growth" of power in the centre, because it proposes "the expansion of bureaucracy".

"More of our own laws will be overridden by European rules and regulations. We will have to give up no fewer than 32 vetoes," he will state.

Mr Stevenson will end by urging those opposed to the EU constitution to vote Tory - which he described as the only party which could act against a "proposed superstate".