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Some politicians in Britain and the EU have voiced their triumph, while others expressed bitter regret after the UK’s Brexit transition period ended Thursday night.
Britain left the vast single market for goods, services and the movement of people from the European bloc at 11pm GMT on New Year’s Eve, midnight in Brussels, completing the biggest economic shift the country has experienced since World War II. .
For some, including the prime minister, it was a moment of pride. Boris Johnson said the UK is now “free to make trade deals around the world and free to further our ambition to be a scientific superpower.”
But in Scotland, which voted strongly in the 2016 Brexit referendum to stay, the independence prime minister, Nicola Sturgeon, tweeted: “Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on. “
Former UK leader Nigel Farage, who played a key role in the 2016 Brexit referendum, tweeted: “25 years ago everyone laughed at me. Well now they are not laughing. “
He also wrote: “This is a great moment for our country, a great step forward. Time to raise a glass. BrexitAtLast ”.
UK Brexit chief negotiator Lord Frost said the UK had “a great future ahead” with the opportunity to “build a better country for us all.”
Britain has just become a completely independent country again, deciding our own affairs for ourselves.
Thanks to everyone who worked with me and @BorisJohnson to bring us here in the last 18 months.
We have a great future ahead of us. Now we can build a better country for everyone.
– David Frost (@DavidGHFrost) December 31, 2020
Conservative MP Bill Cash, who has campaigned for Brexit for decades, called it a “victory for democracy and sovereignty.”
On the other side of the Canal, the view was different. In his New Years speech, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his regret. “The UK is still our neighbor, but also our friend and ally,” he said. “This decision to leave Europe, this Brexit, was the fruit of European malaise and of many lies and false promises.”
Divorce could also have major constitutional implications for the UK. Northern Ireland, which shares a border with EU member the Republic of Ireland, remains more closely tied to the bloc’s economy under the terms of the divorce, a state some fear could alienate it from the rest of the UK.
Many in Britain were apprehensive about Brexit unfolding during a life-changing pandemic around the world. “I feel very sad that we are leaving,” said Jen Pearcy-Edwards, a filmmaker in London.
“I think Covid has overshadowed everything that is happening. But I think the other thing that has happened is that people feel a greater sense of community, and I think that makes it even sadder that we are dividing our community a bit by leaving our neighbors in Europe.
“I am hopeful that we will find other ways to rebuild ties.”
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