UK faces new future after ‘great’ last-minute deal
Britain and the European Union have struck a Brexit deal that will define their relationship for decades to come, exactly 41⁄2 years after the European referendum result on June 24, 2016, and just days before the transition period is due to end.
After 24 hours of last-minute haggling over fishing quotas, Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday hailed the agreement as ‘‘a great treaty’’ which allowed the United Kingdom to ‘‘take back control of our destiny’’ and resolve a question that had ‘‘bedevilled’’ British politics for decades.
‘‘Although the arguments with our European friends were sometimes fierce this is, I believe, a good deal for the whole of Europe,’’ he said. ‘‘It is up to us all together as a newly and truly independent nation to realise the immensity of this moment, and to make the most of it.’’
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the negotiations as a ‘‘long and winding road’’ but said the final deal was ‘‘fair and balanced’’.
‘‘I only feel quiet satisfaction and – frankly speaking – relief.’’
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, added: ‘‘Today is a relief but tinged with sadness when we compare what we had with what lies ahead.’’
The agreement runs to about 2000 pages, including hundreds of annexes, and covers future arrangements for trade, security and fishing as well as future scientific co-operation and regulatory alignment.
British firms will continue to have tariff- and quota-free access to European markets beyond the end of the year. However, ministers are still warning of additional delays at crossChannel ports as a result of new customs procedures on top of the existing Covid-19 disruption.
Parliament will be recalled on December 30 to ratify the agreement in UK law ahead of December 31. The Labour opposition confirmed that it would vote in favour of the deal.
The last-minute nature of the negotiations means the European parliament will not get to vote before December 31. The deal will have to be provisionally applied after agreement by EU member states.
Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon labelled the agreement ‘‘disastrous’’ for farmers in her country. ‘‘It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation,’’ she wrote on Twitter.
Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin described the accord as ‘‘very welcome’’ following ‘‘four long years of negotiations’’.
‘‘There is no such thing as a ‘good Brexit’ for Ireland,’’ he said. ‘‘But compared with the prospect of no-deal the negotiators have worked hard to minimise the damage.’’
Former British prime minister David Cameron, who called the referendum on leaving the European Union, tweeted: ‘‘It’s good to end a difficult year with some positive news. The trade deal is very welcome – and a vital step in building a new relationship with the EU as friends, neighbours and partners.’’
Brexit supporter and former UKIP leader Nigel Farage said: ‘‘The war is over.’’
The delay to agreeing the deal was caused by an embarrassing mix-up by the European Commission over the detail of fishing quotas and last-minute wrangling over who got what in the sharing out of allowable catches.
In a breakthrough move that unlocked the deal, the UK has conceded that the EU will only need to give up 25 per cent of its current quota, keeping threequarters of the fish catch by value, phased in over the next 51⁄2 years.
The new treaty will create a binding enforcement and arbitration mechanism to enforce fair competition rules on subsidy control, social and environmental standards, called the ‘‘level playing field’’. Binding arbitration will introduce new tariffs or quotas if either side is found to be undercutting the other with subsidies or lowering standards.
The British government says the arbitration mechanism frees Britain from EU regulations and institutions such as the European Court of Justice. The EU says sanctions and tariffs will be introduced if the UK embraces the ‘‘Singapore-on-Thames model’’ of high subsidies and moves to lower standards to decrease costs for industry.
Tony Danker, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry, declared that the UK would begin a ‘‘bright future’’ outside the EU ‘‘on firmer ground’’ now that the trade deal had been finalised.
‘‘This will come as a huge relief to British business at a time when resilience is at an all-time low. But coming so late in the day, it is vital that both sides take instant steps to keep trade moving and services flowing while firms adjust.’’