Whitehouse Communications delivered the political campaign for the newly formed Fishermen’s Welfare Alliance (FWA), the first organisation in the UK to represent the whole wild fish supply chain, campaigning for a sectoral visa for the fishing industry to plug an immediate skills shortage alongside a long-term plan to improve education and the reputation of the sector. The campaign secured the support of the Prime Minister’s Defra Adviser, MPs representing fishing constituencies, members of the Home Affairs Select Committee and the Chair of the Government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), advancing the case for policy change on immigration for the UK fishing industry in a political environment hostile to pro-immigration asks.
The challenge
The Fishermen’s Welfare Alliance (FWA) is the first organisation in the UK to represent the whole wild fish supply chain, working for the health, happiness and security of UK fishermen and bringing about responsibly managed improvements to the industry. Its founding priorities include ensuring the human and labour rights of crews are fully protected and developing a long-term plan on labour and access to the UK fleet.
Building on Whitehouse Communications’ earlier relationship with the Apostleship of the Sea, the newly formed Alliance appointed Whitehouse to lead its political communications, campaigning on a range of industry welfare and skills issues. The immediate priority was the sector’s skills shortage: making the case in Whitehall and Westminster for a sectoral visa for the fishing industry to plug the gap in the short term, alongside longer-term work on education and the reputation of the industry, in a wider political environment that was hostile to pro-immigration asks.
Our approach
Whitehouse Communications built a coalition of political, policy and technical support behind the Alliance’s sectoral visa ask, working simultaneously across Whitehall, Westminster and industry expert communities.
The work focused on:
- Producing accessible and informative briefing materials and taking them to the key policy stakeholders on immigration and fisheries: the Home Office, Defra, the Cabinet Office, relevant parliamentarians and industry.
- Taking the Alliance’s policy asks directly to 10 Downing Street, to secure the support of the Prime Minister’s Defra Adviser, and a range of parliamentarians from MPs representing fishing constituencies through to members of the Home Affairs Select Committee.
- Organising a technical roundtable discussion aimed at directly informing those developing the UK’s future immigration policy, and securing the attendance of the Chair of the Government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) alongside parliamentary advocates, technical experts, Defra fishing specialists and thought leaders.
- Preparing policy papers presenting possible solutions and equipping attendees to present the Alliance’s message with authority, using each engagement to refine the campaign’s messaging in dialogue with the MAC’s objectives.
The outcome
Through the campaign, the Alliance secured the support of the Prime Minister’s Defra Adviser, MPs representing fishing constituencies, members of the Home Affairs Select Committee, and the Chair of the Government’s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC), advancing the case for a sectoral visa for the UK fishing industry in a political environment hostile to pro-immigration asks.
By nuancing the campaign’s messaging in dialogue with the MAC and its advocates, Whitehouse Communications broadened the coalition of support behind the Alliance’s ask and gave the FWA a working seat at the table on the design of the UK’s future immigration policy as it affects the fishing industry.
