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The Brexit trade deal agreed on Christmas Eve could be a “hugely unifying moment for our country,” the chancellor said.
Rishi Sunak said that anyone who is concerned about the economic implications of the break with Brussels should be “extremely reassured about the comprehensive nature” of the deal.
The agreement provides that peace of mind, he said, because it provides a “stable cooperative regulatory framework.”
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Johnson’s Christmas message on the Brexit deal
Mr Sunak said that the UK financial services industry is “something to be proud of” and that it will remain open to new relationships and trade.
But he said there would be changes in the financial world, because leaving the EU means that we can “do things a little bit differently.”
He added: “We will continue to be in close dialogue with our European partners when it comes to things like equivalency decisions.”
There is light at the end of the tunnel, Mr. Sunak said, and we can look forward to a better future.
Sunak’s comments echo those of the prime minister, who has said the deal is the beginning of a “better and healthier relationship” with the EU.
“It is the end of a long and troubled period, in which we keep trying to pretend to ourselves that we could accept all kinds of things that we really didn’t want to do to keep up with the big Europa Union project,” Boris Johnson told The Sunday Telegraph.
Boris Johnson and EU leaders celebrate reaching an agreement on Zoom. Photo: Number 10
“Freedom is what you do with it,” he added. “Now it is up to us to seize the opportunities, but we have a great challenge with COVID-19. “
The prime minister said his government would not withdraw from the EU “by diverging.”
But he said the UK would start to go its own way “where that is useful to the British people.”
“This government has a very clear agenda to unite, level up and spread opportunities throughout the country,” he said.
In the area of business tax and regulation, Johnson said the chancellor is “doing a great workout on all of this.”
Regarding the pandemic, Sunak said the government had “kept” its promise to provide the NHS with everything it needs.
The UK is making “really good progress” in rolling out the coronavirus vaccine, he added.
His comments come as the chief pharmacist behind the Oxford vaccine says researchers have found a “winning formula” to improve the effectiveness of the jab.
