All change

Keir Starmer won a landslide victory. So what’s next?

Britain’s Labour Party swept to power last month on the strength of a one-word promise: “Change”.

There is no doubt that changes are underway, following a packed King’s Speech that set out a busy parliamentary agenda, to be enacted by a Parliament that gives Prime Minister Keir Starmer a hefty majority.

What, though, might the new government mean for the UK’s aquaculture sector? It would be misleading to pretend that the interests of the industry are high up on Labour’s list of priorities, with the National Health Service, the need for economic growth, the housing crisis and workers’ rights, to name just four, taking up a lot of attention.

Even so, it is fair to say that aquaculture is on the new government’s radar. The Labour Party’s manifesto gave a nod to the salmon industry’s role as an intrinsic part of “Brand Scotland”, pledging that the UK Government will take a more collaborative approach with the Scottish Government on international engagement.

The new PM meets Scotland’s First Minister, John Swinney

The manifesto said: “Scotland has an enviable international reputation. Its culture, products and services are internationally renowned – from whisky and salmon to computer game development, bioscience and financial services. Labour will champion ‘Brand Scotland’ across the world through the Scotland Office, and our diplomatic and trade networks.”

So far, the tone of the new administration’s relations with the devolved Scottish Government seems to suggest a more constructive atmosphere than has been the case in recent years.

The manifesto also committed to negotiating a new veterinary agreement with the European Union, which is something the salmon industry and, indeed, the seafood sector, has been lobbying for over the past few years.

Labour has resisted calls to reverse Brexit, but the manifesto said: “We will reset the relationship and seek to deepen ties with our European friends, neighbours and allies. That does not mean reopening the divisions of the past. There will be no return to the single market, the customs union, or freedom of movement.

“Instead, Labour will work to improve the UK’s trade and investment relationship with the EU, by tearing down unnecessary barriers to trade.”
This would include negotiating a new veterinary agreement “…to prevent unnecessary border checks and help tackle the cost of food.”

On hiring overseas workers – which has become an issue for the seafood industry post-Brexit – the manifesto was fairly vague regarding Labour’s plans to manage legal migration, but it stressed there will be no return to free movement.

It says net migration will be reduced and adds: “We will reform the points-based immigration system so that it is fair and properly managed, with appropriate restrictions on visas, and by linking immigration and skills policy.”

The manifesto promised to apply “joined-up thinking” so that an influx of skilled workers from overseas in a given sector is treated as a call to action to improve training UK workers in that field.

Jackie Baillie

Tantalisingly, ahead of the General Election, Scottish Labour’s Deputy Leader, Jackie Baillie, hinted that a Labour government might look favourably on proposals for a “Scottish visa”. This would effectively be a work permit to allow foreign nationals to be employed in Scotland even if they could not use it elsewhere in the UK.

This approach has been strongly advocated by the Scottish National Party. More recently, however, Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar has poured cold water on the idea that Scotland might have a separate immigration policy.

On environmental policy, Labour has promised action to clean up Britain’s rivers and coasts, and a land-use framework to protect food security and the environment, but there is no mention of how Labour would manage marine protected areas (MPAs).

Planning looks like one of the areas in which Keir Starmer’s government is prepared to spend its political capital. This is often presented an argument about housebuilding and the “green belt” outside towns and cities that has previously been out of bounds for developers.

The planning agenda is about more than houses, however. Unlocking planning restrictions will also make it easier to overcome objections to a variety of developments.

One of the Bills outlined in the King’s Speech concerns reforms for the Crown Estate. The government promises: “This Bill will modernise the Crown Estate by removing outdated restrictions on its activities, widening its investment powers and giving it the powers to borrow in order to invest at a faster pace.

“These measures – which conform to our fiscal rules – will unlock significant investment in public infrastructure for the benefit of the nation.

“That includes vital marine investment needed to accelerate and quadruple offshore wind capacity by 2030 as part of the Government’s clean power mission.”

The Crown Estate has already been looking at ways to streamline the laborious process for gaining consent for shellfish and seaweed farm projects, so a faster consenting process for renewable energy could herald good news for aquaculture.

Of course, much of this is not relevant for the salmon industry, which in the UK operates exclusively in Scottish waters under the jurisdiction of Crown Estate Scotland. The same distinction applies to planning on land, which is a devolved matter. Even so, if planning reform is seen to boost economic growth for England and Wales, it will put pressure on the Scottish Government to follow suit.

Also, some of Labour’s infrastructure investment plans will have UK-wide implications. The proposed National Wealth Fund, for example, includes funding of £1.8bn to upgrade ports and build supply chains across the UK.

Torcuil Crichton (left) with Ian Murray at Loch Roag

An industry-friendly government?
The run-up to the election saw Labour in Scotland reaching out to the fish farming industry on a number of occasions – not surprisingly, given that Scottish salmon is the UK’s biggest and most valuable food export, with international sales of around £600m to more than 50 countries annually, and directly employs more than 2,500 people.

Ian Murray, now Secretary of State for Scotland, and Torcuil Crichton, now Labour member for the Western Isles, visited Bakkafrost Scotland’s Loch Roag salmon farm on the Isle of Lewis in August last year.

Murray said at the time: “It is the job of government to ensure the continued success of Scottish salmon, facilitating sustainable growth with animal welfare remaining a top priority.”

More recently, Anas Sarwar dropped in on the Aquaculture UK trade show in May, meeting with industry body Salmon Scotland and the Young Aquaculture Society. He said: “The salmon in our waters are a key part of ‘Brand Scotland’, contributing to inward investment and exports.

“Food and drink should be viewed as an economic asset, and we need to build the right business environment in Scotland to help sectors like this thrive with responsible growth and high animal welfare standards.

“It’s vital that Scotland is seen as open for business, and a Labour government will prioritise economic growth so that we can deliver more high-skilled jobs, enable rural communities to flourish, and invest more in public services.”

Labour politicians have, from the industry’s point of view, been saying all the right things. Now they just have to deliver.

Daniel Zeichner

New Fisheries Minister

The government appointments announced following Labour’s election victory largely followed the shape of Labour’s shadow roles in opposition, so it was no surprise that Daniel Zeichner, Shadow Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, was named as the new Minister for Farming, Food and Fisheries.

He previously served as Shadow Environment Minister (2020-24), Shadow Transport Minister (2015-17), and was a member of the Petitions Committee, Transport Committee, and Science and Technology Committee. Daniel was first elected as the Labour MP for Cambridge in May 2015 and has been re-elected in the general elections of 2017, 2019, and 2024.

Zeichner’s biography describes him as “a lifelong environmentalist with a sustained interest in agriculture and food issues”.

He has been a vocal advocate for stronger environmental protections, challenging the previous Conservative Government’s targets on air and water quality in numerous debates on food security and broader environmental issues.