Michael Howard has threatened to pull out of the European fisheries agreement.

Addressing the Scottish Tory faithful, the party leader said that a future Conservative administration would renegotiate membership of the Common Fisheries Policy.

He said that the move is necessary to save Scotland's beleaguered fishing fleet.

"When I visited the fishing community of Pittenweem in December, I pledged to restore national and local control over our fisheries," he said.

"The common fisheries policy is emptying our seas of fish and has utterly failed our fishermen

"It needs to end. And let us be clear – only a Conservative government can and will end it.

"And if necessary we will legislate in parliament to make it happen. For if we wait much longer, there will not be a fishing industry left to sustain.

"My message to Scotland’s fishermen is simple: 'I can deliver and I will not let you down'."

Both the Tories and the SNP have accused the government of failing to defend Scotland's fishing interests.

Dramatic plans to reduce quotas and plans to decommission a substantial element of the Scottish fleet are bitterly opposed by Scottish fishing communities.

But Howard's pledge has come under fire from the government - which has accused the Tories of grandstanding on the issue.

"Everybody knows as far as fishing is concerned the key is to make sure we can conserve stocks and that we have an industry that is sustainable," said Scotland secretary Alistair Darling.

"This is simply gestures on the part of the Tories and the Nationalists.

 "It won't help the fishermen, it won't help the fish and it would marginalise us in Europe which I believe would be disastrous for many many thousands of jobs that depend on us being in Europe and being there influencing those key decisions."