Summary

  • MPs vote to approve legislation that will pass the EU-UK post-Brexit deal into UK law

  • The Commons approves the measures by 521 votes to 73 at its first stage in the Commons

  • Parliament was recalled to put the agreement into UK law, one day before the UK stops following EU rules

  • Proceedings in the House of Commons started at 09:30 GMT

  • The EU (Future Relationship) Bill will then pass to the House of Lords for their approval

  • Once both Houses have agreed to the bill, the Queen will be asked to give her consent, known as Royal Assent

  • EU bosses officially signed the agreement in Brussels earlier - it has been flown to London by the RAF for Boris Johnson to sign

  1. UK 'must act to prevent over-fishing'published at 13:45 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Conservative Ian Liddell-Grainger says he is "delighted" that the deal includes co-operation with the EU on nuclear power. The UK should now "upscale" this sector of its economy, he argues.

    Labour's John Spellar says the UK must break its "obsession" with southern England when the trade deal kicks in, encouraging greater economic investment and growth in other regions.

    Conservative ex-cabinet minister Sir John Redwood, a leading Brexiteer, urges the government to cut taxes and help businesses after "independence day", when the UK leaves the EU's single market and customs union. He asks for legislation to prevent European fleets "over-fishing" UK waters.

  2. People 'deserve leadership based on conviction' says Green MPpublished at 13:42 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    LucasImage source, HoC

    The SNP's Angus MacNeil says the UK had "the Rolls Royce of deals" when it was in the EU, but "now Brexiteers are trying to claim a unicycle is the best possible deal".

    Conservative Nickie Aiken says she hopes the government will, in the future, make progress on equivalence, data sharing and mutual recognition of professional qualifications.

    The Green Party's Caroline Lucas attacks Labour's decision to vote for the deal. She says people "deserve principled leadership based on conviction not party political calculation".

  3. What you need to know about the UK leaving the EUpublished at 13:32 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    01 January on calendar

    The deal contains new rules for how the UK and EU will live, work and trade together. The legislation MPs are voting on today, will confirm those rules in to UK law.

    The most important part of the agreement is that both sides agreed:

    • No taxes on each other's goods when they cross borders (known as tariffs)
    • No limits on the amount of things which can be traded (known as quotas)

    You can read more detail on other aspects of the deal here.

    But why did it take so long to get a deal, and what happens next?

    Read our guide in full here.

  4. 'A monumental act of self-harm' - Alliance MPpublished at 13:22 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Labour's Clive Lewis objects to the lack of time MPs have had to scrutinise the deal. "Does the restoration of sovereignty not extend to democratic oversight by the elected members of this house," he asks.

    Conservative Connor Burns says today "marks the day the British dog finally leaves the federalist manger" and praises both the PM and Michael Gove for their leadership.

    Alliance MP Stephen Farry says he is not prepared to be "a rubber stamp" to "a monumental act of self-harm".

  5. Great opportunities ahead - Rosspublished at 13:19 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    RossImage source, HoC

    Conservative Steve Brine pays tribute to the PM's "statecraft" over the EU trade deal. It is "ironic" that the Euro-enthusiastic Liberal Democrats will oppose the government's bill, which essentially means voting for no deal, he adds.

    Labour's Peter Kyle says he will vote in favour of the bill later, but warns that the absence of detail in the deal on services needs addressing.

    Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, attacks the SNP for opposing the government's legislation. There will be "great opportunities" for UK fishing as the provisions in the trade deal take effect, he argues.

  6. What does the deal say about financial services?published at 13:06 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Reality Check

    Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the House of Commons earlier that his deal would provide certainty for businesses, including in financial services.

    But the trade deal concentrates mainly on the sale of goods. It does not do much to help UK financial services companies access EU markets.

    They will not have the automatic right to offer their services across the EU, as they did when the UK was a member state. Instead, they will have to rely on decisions that their regulations have “equivalence” with those in EU member states. Equivalence decisions may be withdrawn with 30 days notice and they exclude some core banking services.

    The EU has said that decisions on equivalence will not be made before the beginning of January.

    The prime minister told the Sunday Telegraph that the Brexit deal “perhaps does not go as far as we would like” for financial services.

    Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has said that in the next few months, the UK and the EU would agree on a memorandum of understanding to give more detail about how the financial services relationship will work.

    The trade body for financial services, UK Finance, welcomed the deal , externalsaying it “brings much needed certainty for businesses”, but added that “it will be important to build on the foundations of this trade deal by strengthening arrangements for future trade in financial services".

  7. Green: Let's be generous towards EUpublished at 12:59 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Conservative former cabinet minister Damian Green - a Remain campaigner in the 2016 EU referendum - says he will vote "enthusiastically" for the government's deal.

    However, it is a "triumph" for ministers but not for Parliament, as the time - one day - allowed for scrutiny of the bill is "laughable", he adds.

    Green calls for a "spirit of generosity" towards EU countries.

    Labour's Yvette Cooper, who chairs of the Commons Home Affairs committee, says the deal is "not what the PM promised" adding that "red tape will go up" and "security cooperation will go down".

    She says after tomorrow night, police will have to rely on a database of suspects which is "slower and weaker" than the current one.

    However she says "no one deserves the chaos of no deal" and that she will be voting for the deal.

  8. 'To say fisherman are disappointed is an understatement' - Conservative MPpublished at 12:51 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Labour's Barry Sheerman says the idea behind the EU - to "start a Europe which would make war unthinkable" - is "very inspirational" and calls for "a renewal of the European spirit".

    He tells MPs that he will vote for the deal which is "much better" than he expected.

    In contrast Labour's Diane Abbott says she will vote against the deal - going against the instructions of her party leader - arguing that it "falls short" in many areas.

    Focusing on security, she says access to crime-fighting tools "has been compromised".

    Conservative MP Sheryll Murray says "to say fisherman are disappointed is an understatement."

    She adds that she "shares the disappointment" of the fishing industry and urges the PM to support the sector in the coming years.

  9. Davis: We must keep EU as friendspublished at 12:45 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    DavisImage source, HoC

    Former Brexit Secretary David Davis joins fellow prominent Leave supporters in praising the trade deal with the EU. The treaty is a "new beginning", with issues still to deal with on Northern Ireland and fishing, he adds.

    Davis says one day is not long enough for Parliament to deal with a 1,200-page treaty, and that the EU will try to use the document "to its own advantage".

    The UK needs a strategy "that will keep them as neighbours and friends", the Conservative MP says, pledging to back the government's bill.

  10. Deal will damage society - SDLP leaderpublished at 12:44 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Speaking via video link, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood says he will not back a trade deal that will "make people poor". It will "damage" the economy, services and society, he adds.

    Eastwood says it seems the United Kingdom is "coming to an end" and that there is a "moral duty" to discuss forthcoming constitutional discussions sensibly.

    He urges fellow nationalists not to "glorify" the violence of Northern Ireland's past.

  11. PM to hold press conference at 17:00 GMTpublished at 12:41 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020
    Breaking

    Downing Street have announced the prime minister will hold a press conference at 17:00 GMT

    Boris Johnson leaving No 10 earlier as he headed to the Commons to address MPs ahead of their vote to approve the Brexit trade agreement with the EU.Image source, EPA
    Image caption,

    Boris Johnson waved to the press as he left No 10 earlier for the Commons, to address MPs ahead of their vote to approve the Brexit trade agreement with the EU.

  12. 'We should keep our spears to hand,' says Conservative MPpublished at 12:37 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Starting his speech holding a copy of the 1,2000 page Brexit agreement, Conservative Mark Francois says "the war is over" and, addressing his eurosceptic colleagues adds "perhaps we should now lower our spears."

    However he goes on to say: "Perhaps we should keep them to hand just in case one day someone, perhaps the leader of the opposition, should try and take us back into the EU."

    "The battle for Brexit is now over but I suspect the battle for the union is about to begin.

    "We are about to write a new chapter, but now after a truly epic struggle we will do it as a free people."

    FrancoisImage source, HoC
  13. Deal is 'the least worst option'published at 12:30 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Labour's Cat Smith says the deal is "the least worst option" for jobs and businesses.

    But she warns that communities who voted to leave the EU based on promises about regeneration of fishing are going to be "very disappointed".

    And she says his offer of £100m for the fishing industry will not be enough.

  14. Gibraltar 'must have sovereignty protected'published at 12:27 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Commons chamberImage source, HoC

    Tory Sir Bob Neill calls the deal a "basis on which we can build a constructive relationship" with the EU. Sovereignty alone, he adds, "never put food on anyone's table".

    Work on justice and security co-operation needs to continue, with more shared access to database, Sir Bob says.

    He adds that the people of Gibraltar must have their British sovereignty defended, whatever happens.

    But the SNP's Brexit spokesperson, Philippa Whitford, expresses her unhappiness over changes to fishing rights, saying the landing by UK fleets of some species, such as cod and haddock, will be lessened.

    And Conservative Tom Tugendhat says he will back the bill, and calls for an end the to "constitutional Kama Sutra", which has "left us all bruised".

  15. Vote makes 'a mockery of sovereignty' says Plaid Cymru MPpublished at 12:19 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Saville RobertsImage source, HoC

    On the video link, Plaid Cymru Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts says the vote today is a "rubber stamp exercise" that makes "a mockery of sovereignty".

    She says the deal itself is "a betrayal of working people who were promised greater prosperity".

    And she confirms that her party will vote against the bill.

  16. Businesses 'must be briefed properly on new rules'published at 12:16 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    Back to the Commons again, and Conservative Neil Parish says the provisions in the deal on fishing have been a success. It's important to co-operate with the EU, so the industry operates smoothly, he adds.

    Businesses and hauliers must also be well briefed on rule changes happening from 1 January, Parish advises.

    Next, Labour's Ellie Reeves says it's time to "move on" in the UK's relationship with the EU, which will "not compare" to that in existence when it was a member state.

    The choice in today's vote is "stark" - between no deal and a "bad deal" - she argues.

    Reeves says she will back the government later.

  17. Plane touches down with Brexit agreement on boardpublished at 12:14 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    RAF plane landing at London City airportImage source, BB

    Earlier, we told you that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel had formally signed the EU-UK Brexit agreement in a short ceremony in Brussels.

    Boris Johnson now needs to carry out the same honours for the UK side, so the documents were then flown to London by the RAF.

    The plane touched down at London City airport a short while ago.

    Speaking at the ceremony in Brussels this morning, Mr Michel said: "The agreement that we signed today is the result of months of intense negotiations in which the European Union has displayed an unprecedented level of unity.

    "It is a fair and balanced agreement that fully protects the fundamental interests of the European Union and creates stability and predictability for citizens and companies".

  18. 'Its the biggest increase in red tape in British history' - Lib Dem leaderpublished at 12:02 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    DaveyImage source, HoC

    Lib Dem Leader Sir Ed Davey says the deal will make British people "poorer and less safe".

    "It is not a trade deal, it is a loss-of-trade deal, he says adding that it will lead to the "biggest increase in red tape in British history".

    He argues it will mean "23 new committees, 50,000 new customs officials and 400 million new forms".

    And he confirms his party will vote against the deal.

  19. Fox: We'll compete globally on qualitypublished at 11:53 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    FoxImage source, HoC

    Conservative Liam Fox says the deal returns the sovereignty demanded by himself and fellow Brexiteers to the UK. It also allows a "genuinely independent trade policy", he says.

    The UK will compete "at the high end" of international standards on quality and working practices, Fox predicts. He echoes the PM's opening speech, saying "this historic day" opens a "new chapter in our politics".

  20. 'This is not only a thin deal, it is a bad deal'published at 11:52 Greenwich Mean Time 30 December 2020

    "I understand the desire to move on," says Labour MP Kevin Brennan who also joined the proceedings by video link.

    However he says "this is not only a thin deal it is a bad deal."

    He argues that "a far better deal should have been negotiated... and still could be."

    And he confirms that, contrary to his party leader's orders, he will not be voting for the deal.