British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was clearly in a celebratory mood on Christmas Eve, after the UK and EU agreed on a post-Brexit trade deal. A photo shared on Twitter captured his reaction to the historic moment.
The UK and the European Union (EU) agreed on Thursday to a post-Brexit trade deal, ending 11 months of negotiations that began on January 31 when Britain officially left the bloc and entered a transition period.
Shortly after agreeing to the deal with European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen, Johnson flashed photographers a twin thumbs-up from behind his desk. “The deal is done,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter.
Photos released by Downing Street showed the PM smiling as he spoke to von der Leyen by video call.
The EC president was less than thrilled with the deal, but said “It is time to turn the page and look to the future.”
She added that she had reached three conclusions with Johnson.
Firstly, she contended that “the single market will be fair and remains so.” Secondly, von der Leyen said that the EU will continue cooperating with the UK in all areas of mutual interest, including climate change. Thirdly, she said that the EU has secured five and a half years of full predictability over fishing rights, which had been a major area of disagreement between the two negotiating parties.
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