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EU leaders signed their post-Brexit trade deal with the UK and shipped it to London, sealing a protracted divorce just hours before the UK ends its half-century European experiment.
EU heads Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the heads of the European Commission and the European Council, smiled in a short televised ceremony to put their names on the 1,246-page Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
“It has been a long road. It is time to leave Brexit behind. Our future is made in Europe,” von der Leyen said.
The UK will leave the European single market and customs union tomorrow at 2300 (2300 GMT), the end of a difficult year and a post-Brexit transition period marked by intense and tortuous trade negotiations.
But first the heavy document, bound in blue leather, will be transported by the Royal Air Force to London for Prime Minister Boris Johnson to add his signature, and the British Parliament will embark on a hasty debate to clear the covers before the deadline looming.
Today, @eucopresident and I signed the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
Prime Minister @BorisJohnson He will sign it later today in London.
It’s been a long road. It is time to leave Brexit behind.
Our future is made in Europe. pic.twitter.com/fjybWryJNY
– Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 30, 2020
According to Downing Street, Johnson will tell MPs that the agreement heralds “a new relationship between Britain and the EU as equal sovereigns, united by friendship, trade, history, interests and values.”
In Brussels, Michel agreed, saying: “On important issues, the European Union is ready to work hand in hand with the UK.
“This will be the case for climate change, ahead of COP 26 in Glasgow, and for the global response to pandemics, in particular with a possible pandemic treaty.”
The Johnson government published the accompanying British legislation yesterday afternoon, less than 24 hours before the debate begins in parliament, an hour after it was signed in Brussels.
The government intends to push all stages of the 85-page European Union (future relationship) bill through the Commons and House of Lords in one day.
The deal avoided the prospect of a cliff-edge separation that would have seen quotas and tariffs slapped across the Channel on all trade, exacerbating tensions amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has hit Britain more than the United States. most.
A bill to give effect to the deal in the UK must go through all stages in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords today.
Hardliners of Brexit in the Conservative Party faction of the European Research Group say they will support the bill, ensuring a government majority.
The main opposition Labor Party is also expected to vote in favor of the deal, but some members may defy the party’s whip and vote against it. The Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats and the DUP will vote against.
Johnson is expected to open the debate and tell MPs that with this deal the UK will be a friendly neighbor, the best friend and ally the EU could have.
The deal will also be debated in the Scottish Parliament, where all parties are likely to oppose it, except for the Scottish Conservatives.
The agreement will be applied provisionally until the European Parliament ratifies it, which is not expected for at least two months, and MEPs have formally requested even more time to analyze the agreement.
Additional reporting Sean Whelan
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