Brexit: PM says UK’s destiny is ‘in our hands’ as trade deal enters law

Brexit
PA Wire

Prime minister Boris Johnson has said the post-Brexit deal with the EU marks a new beginning where the UK’s destiny “now resides firmly in our hands."

The comments followed the EU trade deal clearing Parliament after the Government rushed approval through the Commons and Lords in a single day.

It was announced that the legislation had been granted royal assent at 12.25am on Thursday morning, signing the agreement finally reached between the UK and EU on Christmas Eve into law.

The Act paves the way for the deal to take effect at 11pm on Thursday when the current Brexit transition period – during which the UK has continued to follow EU rules – ends.

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The comments came after the EU trade deal legislation was granted Royal Assent at 12.25am on Thursday
AFP via Getty Images

In a statement after the deal cleared Parliament, the Prime Minister said: “I want to thank my fellow MPs and peers for passing this historic Bill and would like to express my gratitude to all of the staff here in Parliament and across Government who have made today possible.

“The destiny of this great country now resides firmly in our hands. We take on this duty with a sense of purpose and with the interests of the British public at the heart of everything we do.

“11pm on the 31st December marks a new beginning in our country’s history and a new relationship with the EU as their biggest ally. This moment is finally upon us and now is the time to seize it.”

Despite the high profile rebellion from Labour MPs who believed the agreement was not good enough,  MPs backed the Bill by 521 to 73 at third reading, while peers gave it an unopposed third reading late on Wednesday night.

Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw were among the signatories to a statement calling on opposition parties not to support the “rotten” agreement, The Guardian reported

Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said that, while the agreement is “thin” with “many flaws”, the alternative is to leave the EU single market and customs union with no agreement, pushing up prices and driving businesses to the wall.

But he suffered a further rebellion which prompted two junior shadow ministers, Helen Hayes and Tonia Antoniazzi, to announce they were resigning their posts on the Labour front bench as they could not support the agreement.

One Labour MP, Bell Ribeiro-Addy, defied the whips to vote against the agreement while another 36 abstained.

All the other opposition parties opposed the agreement, including the DUP, which backed Brexit but objects to provisions which mean Northern Ireland will still be subject to some EU rules

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