This is bbc world news, the headlines. The European Union and United Kingdom have announced that a post brexit trade deal has been agreed. The European Commission president ursula von der leyen described it as a good, fair and balanced deal. Prime minister borisjohnson said the uk has completed the biggest trade deal yet, adding we have taken back control of our money, borders, laws, trade and our fishing waters. The eus chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, said the clock is no longer ticking, and expressed his relief that a deal has been agreed. Lord david frost, who has been leading the uk team, says he is pleased and proud in their efforts to secure an excellent deal. Youre watching the bbc news with ben bland. A post brexit deal has been agreed four and a half years after the uk voted to leave the European Union. The Prime Minister said it was the biggest trade deal yet with the European Union and said britain had taken back control of its laws, borders, and fishing waters. After months of talks and frantic last minute wrangling, negotiators reached agreement a short time ago with just a week to go before the deadline. The president of the European Commission, ursula von de leyen described it a good deal fair and balanced and one that provided solid foundations for a new start with the uk a long term friend. The british Prime Minister, borisjohnson, says the deal will drive prosperity across the whole continent. Its very important in this agreement, line by line, chapter by chapter. It will be fair and remain so. The
eu rules and standards will be respected. We have effective tools to react if fair competition is distorted and impacts our trade. Secondly, we will continue cooperating with the uk in all areas of mutual interest. For example, in the field of climate change, energy, security and transport. Together, we still achieve more than we do apart. Thirdly, we have secured five and a half years of full predictability for our fishing communities and strong tools to incentivize to remain so. Of course, this whole debate has always been about sovereignty. But we should cut through the sound and ask ourselves, what sovereignty actually means in
the 21st century. For me, its about being able to seamlessly do work, travel, study and do business in 27 countries. Its about pooling our strength and speaking together in a world full of great powers. And in a time of crisis, it is about pulling each other up instead of trying to get back to your feet alone. The European Union shows how this works in practice. A no deal in the world can change reality, gravity and in todays economy in todays world. We are one of the giants. The operation is. Translation the European Union is well prepared for breakfast, we are obviously aware of of the fact that this agreement is not going to solve all problems and we have been working
closely with authorities and business in europe to ensure that they are well prepared. In our new budget, there is 5 billion euros ring fenced to help people and companies that are very much affected by brexit. Time to turn the page and look to the future. The United Kingdom is a third country, but it remains a trusted partner. We are long standing allies, we shared the same value and interest, whether it be the 26, the next summit in glasgow or upcoming uk g7 and italian g20 presidencies, the European Union at the United Kingdom will stand shoulder to shoulder to deliver on our common global goals. Lets speak now to the leader of the
brexit party, nigel farage. , what do you make of the deal that we know about so far . Look, you know, theres a lot of detail, 2000 pages oi theres a lot of detail, 2000 pages or 0 theres a lot of detail, 2000 pages or so to go through. Im obviously very concerned about the level Playing Field because the European Commission seems very confident that theyve got us in a position that theyve got us in a position that they have something of us that if we come to terror competitive, they will put tariffs on us. I dont know what the mechanism is going to be. Fisheries, its a rotten deal, really, for british fishermen come another five and have your transition with tiny increases over those years. I was pleased to hear Michel Barnier say that we have not signed up to a common agreement on Foreign Policy or defence. That struck me as being quite significant. But taking the big picture, you know, there are things here that i will not be happy with, of course, but, you know, somebody has fought for 30 years for us to leave the European Union, this is a
big moment. Its a massive step forward. Its the end of the brexit war that have bedeviled british politics and divided families for all these years, and i think its a big historic important moment. Do you feel that perhaps there was too much attention paid to the politically important, the symbolically important matter of fisheries, but one which is economically a lot less significant than, say, Financial Services to the uk economy. If you will, focusing so much on how you do not divide the sprouts that you let the turkey go cold in the meantime. Of course, our vision is if we were like norway or iceland, wed be catching 90 of the fish in our waters. And you are quite right in some ways, because this is a very good deal for french winemakers. Its a very good deal for german car manufacturing industries, but for the city of london, the one bit of our economy, Financial Services, we traded with surplus with europe, there is nothing and no guarantees whatsoever. So i think, you know,
the truth of it is, there will be a lot of people in the European Union happy tonight with where things are. Im not over the moon about all of this, but, you know, we have reached a point after years of trench wa rfa re a point after years of trench warfare in british politics, division and bitterness that, you know, even i have to say that lets just mark this moment. Its not perfect, but its a lot better off than we were five years ago. So, on the whole, would you say that you are happy with the way that the Prime Minister has gone about negotiating all of this . Its a lot better than theresa may was. Lets put it like that. Look, its far from perfect. Id much rather be hadnt signed a new treaty with the European Union. Id much rather be really did have the canada style trade agreements. If we find in the detail there are some hidden horrors, than i might change my
mood, but, look, ijust think thats, i think david frost did a lot better job thats, i think david frost did a lot betterjob than the previous team, and he was appointed by Boris Johnson. Johnson said get brexit done, its not perfect, but do you know something, in two months time on this programme, we wont be arguing about brexit. I think many people will breathe a sigh of relief at that. 0k, nigel farage, in terms of the scrutiny of this, we hear the deal could run Something Like 2000 pages. Are there not questions about whether parliament is giving enough ofa whether parliament is giving enough of a chance to look at the detail of it and make sure that they are all happy with what it means and what they are signing up to . Its absolutely impossible for members of parliament in a few short days to go through this, understand it, analyse it and vote on it. So i think what has to happen next week as there has to bea has to happen next week as there has to be a vote in principle, and in the new year, parliament can spend time looking at us, going through it, just as the European Parliament will come and just as parliaments all over the rest of europe well. So
i think if the government is sensible it will go for a vote on principle, otherwise, it will look cynically, you know, the deal was delayed until the last possible moment so that people couldnt scrutinise it. What would you have done differently if it was you in that room thrashing this out . Well, look, i wouldnt have signed up to the original Withdrawal Agreement because it was a new european treaty. And it put us on the back footin treaty. And it put us on the back foot in many areas. So i wouldnt have been in this position. Personally, you know, whatever deal weve got or what we know of the deal, i would weve got or what we know of the deal, iwould much weve got or what we know of the deal, i would much rather have left on australian terms, and been com pletely on australian terms, and been completely free, but we dont get in life everything that we want. I wa nted life everything that we want. I wanted this country to leave the European Union. I wanted us to be free to get on with the rest of our lives. This isnt perfect, but i will tell you what, im a lot happier now with the position than i was back in 2015. 0k, nigel perez, leader of the brexit party, thank
you very much. Thank you. Nigel farage. Borisjohnson you very much. Thank you. Nigel farage. Boris johnson has you very much. Thank you. Nigel farage. Borisjohnson has said the deal will drive prosperity across the whole continent. Im very pleased to tell you this afternoon that we have completed the biggest trade deal yet, worth £660 billion a year, a comprehensive canada style free trade deal between the uk and the eu, a dealthat free trade deal between the uk and the eu, a deal that will protect jobs across this country, a deal that will allow goods, uk goods and to be sold without tariffs and without quotas in the eu markets. A deal which will, if anything, lower oui deal which will, if anything, lower our companies and exporters to do even more business with our european friends. And yet, which achieves something that the people of this country instinctively knew was doable, but which they were told was impossible. We have taken back
control of our laws and our destiny. We have ta ken control of our 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 from january the 1st, we are outside the Customs Union, and outside the Single Markets. Reddish laws will be made solely by the British Parliament interpreted by uk judges sitting in uk courts, and the jurisdiction of the European Court ofjustice will come to an end. Lets speak to steve, the deputy leader of the Alliance Party in Northern Ireland. Firstly, your reaction to what we have learned today of the deal. Well, there is a certain tinge of sadness, there is no such good there is no such thing as a sensible brexit. All moves inside brexit are an act against the devolved governments. Apart from both uk and
ireland to be part of the European Union. We will see on the back of this a whole range of opportunities and benefits that people have taken advantage forfour and benefits that people have taken advantage for four generations now being lost, but against that, we know about the implications of a no deal brexit will be catastrophic for our economy and would make the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol including the checks in the irish sea more difficult. So the removal of tariffs arkham significant. There will be checks and make major differences that will continue for Northern Ireland. Is supposed the Crucial Point which was at one point did not dominating discussions where the issue of a hard border between Northern Ireland and the republic of ireland. That will not happen and that surely must be a huge relief. Well, absolutely. Thats been essentially a given, particularly on the European Union side right from the European Union side right from the onset of this process. Its more
than simply an issue of practicalities of a border on the island, but potentially 270 border crossings, its also about the psychological impact that that would play a key parts of the good friday agreement. Of the difficult to was that whenever the uk made a decision to go with the Customs Union or the Single Markets, that meant that the interface between the uk economic institutions and the European Union would have to be drawn somewhere on the map, and that now follows on the irish cecum and that is because a certain degree of problems. Now, the protocol decisions that have been taken around this month mitigate that to a certain extent, but there still will be a whole range of challenges nonetheless. How much do you think life will change on a practical basis for the people you represent come january the 1st. Well, whether people are british or irish citizens, those where i reset his will continue to be members ofEuropean Union and continue to have those rates going forward. That is a certain difference in terms of people who, in many respects, may well be neighbours in the same streets, so that is a certain detraction. I think we will see Northern Irelands economy over time becoming more aligned to the economy on the rest of the islands, the way the structures are set up, and brexit has opened up much more of a debate around the constitutional question, something that was largely settled prior to 2016, but we are now much more fluid debates, and that may well have the consequence of destabilising our politics over the years to come. 0k, steve from the years to come. 0k, steve from the Alliance Party, thanks very much for joining the Alliance Party, thanks very much forjoining us. The eus chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, expressed his relief at a deal has been agreed. With the clock is no longer taking. After four years of collective eu
unity to preserve peace and stability on the island of irelands, to protect the citizens and the Single Markets, to build a new partnership with the uk. Thank you all, thank you all. This is the work of so many women and men here in the commission, madam president , all the services and in particular that you task force for brexit and in the Member States, the council, the European Parliament, i also pay tribute also to the you uk negotiating team and the chief negotiator, david frost, and the eu deputies. Michel barnier there. Lets speak to david mcallister, member of European Parliament and chair of the uk
coordination committee joins us now from northern germany. Very good to have you with us. The british my minister claiming that this was a good dealfor the minister claiming that this was a good deal for the whole of europe. Do you share that view . Well, i welcome the fact that a deal has been reached. What ive seen and read until now, it seems that this deal is fairand read until now, it seems that this deal is fair and balanced for both sides, and certainly, this draught agreement protects our citizens, our Single Markets and our long Term Economic interests as the European Union. As far as the businesses in your country in germany who rely on being able to export with frictionless ease to the uk, do you feel that the European Union has done to defend their interests is enough you to go back to them and say, your interests have been protected 7 yes, we offer the United Kingdom something we have never authored
offered a country before, tier free, quota free to the Worlds LargestSingle Markets, but this came at a certain condition, and a certain condition was a level Playing Field. We won fair competition on both sides of the channel, and what i have read until now in the agreement, we have guarantees that standards are maintained, and that oui standards are maintained, and that our businesses and citizens are protected so, i think this is a good agreement from our point of view, but of course, the process is not over yet. These negotiations have been very challenging, and now that 27 Member States of the European Union and then the European Parliament need time to scrutinise all the details reached out negotiators level. All the details reached out negotiators level. Is there anything about the deal that you are disappointed with . Well, the first thing i have seen is that the United Kingdom will no longer participate in the erasmus plus programme. This is something which i regret because
i think its important that young people are able to spend some time of their school or study days in another country in the United Kingdom, of course, is an attractive partner with all the world famous coll