| UPDATED: 09:11, Fri, Jan 8, 2021 Link copied Sign up for FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again SUBSCRIBE Invalid email When you subscribe we will use the information you provide to send you these newsletters. Sometimes they'll include recommendations for other related newsletters or services we offer. Our Privacy Notice explains more about how we use your data, and your rights. You can unsubscribe at any time. The UK finally completed its full departure from the European Union on New Year's Eve - four-and-a-half years after the historic referendum vote. Britain had entered an 11-month Brexit transition period, in which time the country remained tied to the EU's rules around the Customs Union and Single Market. But the UK has now broken free from the EU shackles, affording Boris Johnson and the whole of the country several new powers.