Historic EU trade deal agreed as Boris Johnson praises ‘unprecedented’ agreement – follow live

The post-Brexit trade deal between the UK and EU is not what was promised to Wales, the First Minister has said.

Mark Drakeford said the deal, which was agreed just days before the transition period ends, was better than the no-deal alternative.

“Faced with a binary choice between no deal and this – indeed any deal – we would prefer a deal,” Mr Drakeford said.

“It is appalling that it has taken until a week before we leave the transition period to give the first indication of the terms on which we will trade with our most important trading partner. This will only add to the enormous challenges facing our businesses.

“And while we don’t have any of the detail we know this deal is not the one we would have negotiated – after December 31, Welsh businesses will still face major new barriers to trade; Welsh citizens will no longer be able to travel freely in Europe; and there will be little in it for service sector businesses.

“Even so, this deal is better than the catastrophe which would have been a no-deal.”

Boris Johnson has recorded a Christmas message for the country in which he described the newly-agreed post-Brexit trade deal as “glad tidings of great joy”.

Speaking in a video on Twitter, he said he had a “present for anyone who may be looking for something to read in that sleep post-Christmas lunch moment”.

Picking up a copy of the 500-page document, he added: “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.”

In Wales the Senedd is to be recalled to debate the implications of the UK Brexit trade agreement.

The Llywydd (Speaker), Elin Jones MS, has agreed to a request from First Minister Mark Drakeford to recall the Senedd next week to debate the implications of the UK-EU Trade and Co-operation Agreement.

Members of the Senedd will meet for a virtual Plenary session on the morning of December 30.

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The EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement sets out arrangements for tariff-free, quota-free trade in goods, but has little to say about services and does not settle key questions on financial services and data, which are expected to be subject to separate agreements.

Boris Johnson has sacrificed Britain’s fishing industry to get a Brexit trade deal with the EU, industry leaders have said.

Eurotunnel operator Getlink said the EU-UK trade deal will “benefit both businesses and travellers alike”.

The firm also said it was creating the Eurotunnel Border Pass, a “digital wallet” which will allow hauliers to store the information needed for goods to cross the border without having to present physical documents.

Jacques Gounon, chairman of Getlink, said: “Getlink, an authentic bi-cultural group, is very well placed to benefit from this agreement. We thank the negotiators on both sides, who often don’t get the recognition they deserve.”

A post-Brexit free trade agreement between Europe and the UK has finally been hammered out. But what does it mean for the UK economy?

News of a Brexit deal being struck between the UK and European Union after months of difficult negotiations has received a mixed response from world leaders, politicians and industry heads across the continent. 

Here’s what they’re saying:

More figures from the fishing industry have poured cold water on the PM’s claim of a victory when it comes to the nation’s waters.

Elspeth Macdonald, chief executive of the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation, said that while the full details of the fisheries agreement reached between the UK and the EU had yet to emerge, on the surface it did not appear to deliver on the industry’s aspirations.

“What has been outlined so far is that full access will be granted to EU vessels for effectively six years from January,” she said.

“Over the same timescale, the increase in quota shares for UK vessels will be 25 per cent.

“The Government has not yet provided the full text of the agreement or how this increase will apply to particular species, so it is very difficult to make a detailed assessment of the impact on our industry.

“However, the principles that the Government said it supported – control over access, quota shares based on zonal attachment, annual negotiations – do not appear to be central to the agreement.

“After all the promises given to the industry, that is hugely disappointing. We expect to be able to study the detail in the coming days and will issue a further statement when we have been able to do so.”