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Boris Johnson has said that the Brexit trade deal is his Christmas present to the country, serving as “the party” after he promised a “oven-ready deal.”
The prime minister also used his Christmas message to say that he believes the deal will be the basis for a “happy and successful” relationship with the EU.
In a Downing Street filmed Christmas message that he shared on Twitter, the prime minister said: “I have a small gift for anyone looking for something to read at that sleepy post-Christmas lunch moment.”
Then he took the 500-page document and said: “Good news of great joy, because this is a deal, a deal to give certainty to companies and travelers, and to all investors in our country starting next year.
“A deal with our friends and partners in the EU.”
Johnson also said the “oven-ready deal” he promised during the 2019 election was “just the beginning” and the 500-page deal was “the party.”
The prime minister celebrated after the deal was reached. Photo: Boris Johnson / Twitter
A trade deal was finally reached at 1:44 pm on Christmas Eve, after nine months of often bitter negotiations.
It will take effect on January 1 and means that Britain has avoided a no-deal exit from the EU.
The legal text has yet to be published, but the prime minister says it will allow companies to “do even more business with our European friends” while “regaining control of our laws and our destiny”, echoing a key message from the Vote. Bell.
The announcements expected by Britain and the EU were continuously delayed through Christmas Eve as frantic last-minute talks took place.
One of the biggest stumbling blocks, fishing rights, continued to delay the deal.
At a Downing Street press conference after the deal was reached, Johnson said: “We have regained control of our laws and our destiny. We have regained control of every jot and tittle of our regulation in a way that is complete and Without restrictions .
“Since January 1, we have been outside the customs union and outside the single market.
“British laws will be made solely by the British Parliament interpreted by British judges sitting in the courts of the United Kingdom and the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the European Union will come to an end.”
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‘We have regained control of our laws and our destiny’
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer called it a “thin” deal that “does not provide adequate protections” for British manufacturing, financial services, creative industries or workers’ rights.
However, he added that his party would back him in a vote that is expected to take place in the Commons next week.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, also struck a grimmer note than Mr Johnson, stating: “We have finally reached an agreement.
“It was a long and winding road, but we have a lot to show for it.
“It is fair, it is a balanced agreement and it is the right thing and responsible for both parties.”
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‘Leaving is such a sweet pain’ – UE
There will be a transition period of five and a half years for the fishing industry, and cooperation will continue on issues such as climate change, energy, security, and transportation.
Carriers greeted the trade deal with caution, warning that drivers needed time to adjust to changes at the French border.
Truck drivers will face customs checks upon entering France starting January 1, while also requiring a permit to access the canal crossings in Kent as part of plans to prevent county roads from being clogged by possible delays.
The Road Transport Association said it feared that its members would be affected by “large amounts of new paperwork” and asked the government to grant a six-month implementation period from the start of 2021 to allow drivers to get used to the new system.
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Starmer: ‘Against no agreement, we accept this deal’
Eurotunnel operator Getlink said the trade agreement “will benefit both companies and travelers.”
The firm also said it was creating the Eurotunnel Border Pass, a “digital wallet” that allows carriers to store the information necessary for their goods to cross the border without having to present physical documents.
Johnson has said that the deal covers trade worth around £ 660bn and means:
- The goods and components can be sold without tariffs or quotas on the EU market.
- It will allow the proportion of fish in British waters that the UK can catch to rise from around half now to two-thirds by the end of the five-and-a-half-year transition.
- Allegations of unfair competition will be judged by an independent arbitration panel with the possibility of a “proportionate” response.
The prime minister acknowledged that he had been forced to give ground on his fishing demands and admitted that he had not gotten everything he wanted in the vitally important financial services sector.
Parliament will be called from their Christmas holidays to vote on the deal on December 30, although MPs have been urged not to return in person to the Commons due to the pandemic unless “absolutely necessary.”
It will almost certainly pass, but Johnson could face opposition from hardline Brexiters.
The Tory European Research Group has promised to convene a “star chamber” of lawyers to carefully study the 500 pages of the agreement.
The deal must also be approved by all 27 EU members, and its diplomats will receive a briefing on Christmas Day from chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
The European Parliament is unlikely to vote on the deal until the new year, which means that its implementation will have to be provisional until it is given the green light.
