Nicola Sturgeon hits back at Boris Johnson after Brexit quip about fish

The remark comes as Johnson said Brexit would be a gift for Scotland thanks to all the opportunities fishing fleets would have outside of the EU and offered Sturgeon thousands of tonnes of fish.

Asked what she would give Johnson in return, Sturgeon said: “I’m probably not one to talk, but a hairbrush maybe.”

She added: “That’s meant as a light hearted comment, not as a serious comment and I’m definitely not one to talk, as you can see.

“I actually signed him a Christmas card over the weekend so there you go there is a Christmas card winging its way from me to Boris Johnson.

“We will wait and see if there’s one winging its way in the opposite direction. I’ll reveal that exclusively in one of the briefings over the Christmas period.”

Last week, Johnson said an increased fishing quota would be a welcome present for Scotland.

He said: “There’s all sorts of things that will arise naturally from the UK getting a new relationship with our friends in the European Union.

“But one thing maybe particular interest to people of Scotland is that they will become the proud possessors of hundreds of thousands of tonnes of fish, shellfish, crustaceans.

“I don’t know whether Nicola is a keen fish eater but she will have more than she could possibly consume herself for a very, very long time to come.”

Brexiteers have long claimed reclaiming full control of British coastal waters after Brexit would boost Britain’s fishing industry, despite it only making up a small portion of GDP.

MORE: EU vice president says sovereignty debate in Brexit talks is ‘totally pathetic’

Britain and the EU are at loggerheads over fishing rights. They are contesting the time needed for a transition period for European fishermen well as the size and scale of a new quota system.

Both sides continue Brexit trade negotiations this week and have less than 10 days to secure a deal and avert Britain crashing out of the single market.