Labour MP Bill Esterson, chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee, accused Reform UK of ignoring the dangers of climate change and its impact on prices
Fish and chips are at risk of vanishing from the high street if Nigel Farage has his way, a senior Labour figure has warned.
British waters have seen record average temperatures over the first seven months of the year, leading to shifts in the species living in our waters, and creating challenges for fishing. Statistics also show the average price of fish and chips jumped from £6.64 in January 2020 to £10.09 in January 2025, despite industry attempts to “cushion the blow” for consumers.
Labour MP Bill Esterson, chair of the Energy Security and Net Zero Select Committee, has now accused Reform of ignoring the dangers of climate change, and argued it was seeing prices soar in a blow to business. He told The Mirror: “While Nigel Farage wants us to ignore climate change, part of the British way of life is under threat. The seas around the UK are warming up. Cod and haddock are moving to colder waters.” It comes after a Reform UK police chief’s ‘dark heart of wokeness’ claim comes under fire.
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He continued: “The Labour government is taking climate action at home and abroad which will help limit the rise in sea temperatures. Reform needs to explain why they are happy for the British public to pay through the nose for our fish and chips, or possibly even lose our nation’s favourite dish once and for all.”
Mr Farage has previously described the UK’s net zero target as “complete and utter madness”, while his fellow Reform MP Richard Tice recently “declared war” on green energy projects. National Federation of Fish Friers President Andrew Crook told The Mirror climate change could be a factor in the price increases, and that the UK’s chippies were doing their best to keep prices down for customers.
He said: “Most of the fish used in the nation’s fish and chip shops comes from the Barents Sea and the waters around Iceland as the fish prefers deeper colder water than around the UK. We are currently feeling the effects of the quota for cod being reduced from 1m tonnes five years ago to 340,000 tonnes this year as scientists are trying to address a couple of poor year classes of fish.
“These could be caused by climate change, predation or another natural occurrence. In isolation we could handle it but we are seeing increases across the board and high tax burden which unfortunately has led to some increases but we are trying to cushion consumers as much as we can so they can continue to enjoy the nation’s favourite dish.”
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