UK PM avows 'we have taken back control' as Britain-EU move to post-Brexit era

In a major breakthrough, Britain is now starting a fresh chapter in its relationship with the European Union (EU) with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledging to pit the entire nation against the 27-nation-bloc to chase economy success. Following nine-month-long torturous and often stalled negotiations, a Brexit deal between the UK and the EU was reportedly secured at 1:44 GMT on Christmas Eve and both parties remained successful in avoiding a no-deal exit from the transition period that would end on December 31, 2020. 

UK left the union 48 years after it joined the European economic community and while the deal was met with “relief tinged with some sadness” in Brussels, the British PM reportedly said that the post-Brexit deal delivered on the promise of a “giant free-trade zone” which is characterised by a “regulatory competition”. Reiterating his months-old phrase of ‘taking back control’, Johnson also hailed the foundation for a “prosperous new relationship”.

UK PM said, “This European question’s been going on for decades. I think this gives us the platform, the foundation for a really prosperous new relationship. We have taken back control of laws and our destiny …We have taken back control of every jot and tittle of our regulation in a way that is complete and unfettered.”

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Johnson said UK ‘won the right’

Further hailing the momentous deal with the European Union, Johnson said that the UK ‘won the right’ of not only setting own standards but also paved the way to innovate in any direction especially in key sectors including biosciences and artificial intelligence. He added, “British laws will be made solely by the British parliament; interpreted by British judges, sitting in the UK courts.”

Later in a video message wishing Christmas, UK PM said while picking up a document, “The oven-ready deal was just the starter. This is the feast – full of fish, by the way. I believe it will be the basis of a happy and successful and stable partnership with our friends in the EU for years to come.” However, his optimism did not align with the expectations of the government’s own independent forecaster, the Office for Budget Responsibility as it has predicted a downfall in GDP in the medium term by 4%.

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