Image source, HoC

Concluding his speech, Johnson says the UK will “now open a new chapter in our national story, striking free trade deals around the world... and reasserting Global Britain as a liberal, outward-looking force for good.

"We would never wish to rupture ourselves from fellow democracies beneath whose soil lie British war graves in tranquil cemeteries, often tended by local schoolchildren, testament to our shared struggle for freedom and everything we cherish in common."

He says Brexit will deliver "a resolution of the old and vexed question of Britain’s political relations with Europe, which bedevilled our post-War history.

“First we stood aloof, then we became a half-hearted, sometimes obstructive member of the EU."

However he says Britain will now be "the best friend and ally the EU could have – working hand-in-glove whenever our values and interests coincide while fulfilling the sovereign wish of the British people to live under their own laws, made by their own elected Parliament.

“That is the historic resolution delivered by this bill.”

Image source, HoC

Back in the Commons, Boris Johnson says Labour will campaign to rewrite the Brexit deal at the next election.

"We got Brexit done, let's keep Brexit done," he says.

He says the UK has been characterised as a "bargain basement Dickensian Britain - as if enlightened EU regulation has been our only salvation from Dickensian squalor."

He says the UK's national standards "have always been the best in the world" and adds that the House of Commons will keep them that way.

Reality Check

Fishing was one of the final sticking points in the post-Brexit trade talks. While fishing is a tiny part of the economy on both sides of the Channel, it carries big political weight.

Regaining control over UK waters was a big part of the Leave campaign in 2016 but some activists have already criticised what is in the deal.

Read more here from BBC Reality Check about what the Brexit trade deal means for the fishing industry.

Image source, EPA

Image source, EPA

Boris Johnson says the government will invest £100m into the fishing community "to modernise their fleets and the fish processing industry".

He says this will "restore a Great British industry" and accuses the SNP of wanting to give powers back to EU.

SNP MP David Linden rises to quote the Andrew Locker, chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations who said the industry was "angry, disappointed and betrayed".

Image source, HoC

Boris Johnson says the Brexit deal will mean "we will be able to design our own standards and regulations".

He adds that laws passed in Parliament will be interpreted "solely by British courts"

"We will have the opportunity to deliver new ways to encourage flourishing sectors in this country.

"We will be free of EU state aid rules."

He says the deal "banishes the old concepts of uniformity and harmonisation in favour of the right to make our own regulatory choices."

SNP MPs will be opposing the deal when MPs vote later.

The party's Westminster leader Ian Blackford has intervened a couple of times already on the PM's speech. MPs are allowed to ask the Speaker if they can interrupt, or Intervene, on speeches in the Commons when MPs are debating legislation.

Speaking on BBC Breakfast earlier Mr Blackford explained his party's concerns with the bill: "One of the big flashpoints has been about fishing.

"The prime minister repeatedly told us it was about taking back control - we now know nothing could have been further from the truth.

"The fishing industry has been gutted and filleted."

He says the Scottish fishing fleet are going to end up "catching less fish" because of the deal.

He also says businesses "are going to be surrounded by red tape".

"The deal is bad for trade, bad for business, the service sector has been locked out," he says.

You can read about what the deal means for fishing here.

Image source, HoC

Boris Johnson continues: "The central purpose of this bill is to accomplish something which the British people always knew in their hearts could be done, but which we were told was impossible - namely that we could trade and cooperate with our European neighbours on the closest terms of friendship and goodwill, whilst retaining sovereign control of our laws and our national destiny.

“And that unifying thread runs through every clause.

"This bill embodies our vision – shared with our European neighbours – of a new relationship between Britain and the EU as sovereign equals, joined by friendship, commerce, history, interests and values, while respecting one another’s freedom of action and recognising that we have nothing to fear if we sometimes choose to do things differently."

Image source, HoC

The SNP's Ian Blackford intervenes on the prime minister to say this the new deal would mean Scottish fishermen's catch would decrease.

Johnson disagrees saying his deal will "increase Scottish fisherman' share of all relevant stocks".

He says the share of North Sea haddock will go up to 84%.

"And in five years we will take control of all the waters," he says.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson begins by thanking the Commons staff who have made today's sitting possible.

He also welcomes the news that AstraZeneca's vaccine has been approved.

Turning to Brexit he says the deal offers "the biggest free trade deal in the world".

Image source, HoC

Boris Johnson has taken his place at the dispatch box, as the MPs begin their debate on the Brexit trade deal.

Image source, PA Media

Even though the Brexit bill is expected to pass with ease, it may not be as smooth a ride for the Labour party today.

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a rebellion from a small number of his MPs over his decision to back Boris Johnson's deal.

The Labour leader has told his MPs to vote for the deal in the Commons, ensuring it should pass into law in time for the UK's exit from EU rules.

Sir Keir has called the deal "thin" and not what the government promised, but better than no deal.

But critics led by ex-shadow Chancellor John McDonnell are urging the Labour leader not to back the "rotten" deal.

Read more here.

Image source, HoC

While we wait to hear from the PM, MPs have been discussing how today's proceedings will work in practice. Some are concerned that pushing the bill through all its parliamentary stages in a single day doesn't allow them to properly scrutinise the details.

This part of the day is known as a Business Motion, and is led by the leader of the House Jacob Rees-Mogg.

The SNP have tabled an amendment calling for the debate to be extended to seven hours, which MPs are now voting on.

Image source, HoC

The day in the House of Commons has begun.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle begins by thanking Commons staff - some of whom have been working through Christmas. He asks MPs to "bear that in mind"

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

It's fair to say that parliament's Brexit proceedings today will be very fast.

The prime minister will start things off with some introductory remarks.

And then the expectation is that this bill will pass every stage in the Commons, every stage in the Lord's, and be signed off by the Queen into Royal Assent by this evening.

It will be a very busy day in the House of Commons but it'd be very different to some of the big Brexit days we have got used to over the last four and a half years, where we saw wafer thin majorities, the government sometimes being roundly beaten on their Brexit plans.

In contrast, this will be pretty comfortable for the prime minister with the backing of perhaps all Conservatives and the vast majority Labour MPs as well.

Image source, EPA

The UK and EU agreed a trade deal (as well as rules for the post-Brexit relationship) on 24 December.

The document setting out the deal is more than 1,200 pages long, so if you haven’t had time to look over it in Christmas, here is our quick summary of what the document contains.

Or click here for a slightly more in-depth look at the deal from our Reality Check correspondent Chris Morris.

Image source, Reuters

Boris Johnson is due to address MPs at around 09:40 GMT, but we have a preview of what he is likely to say.

He is expected to urge MPs to back the Brexit deal which he will say allows the UK to take "control of our laws and our national destiny".

But he will also stress the UK intends to be the EU's "best friend and ally".

You can read more here.

Jessica Parker
BBC political correspondent

Boris Johnson will tell the Commons that the country is about to open "a new chapter in our national story" - reasserting global Britain - while promising to be the "best friend and ally" the EU could have.

But, as many predicted, the process has run to the wire.

Parliament will vote on an agreement today that will take effect, tomorrow night.

That is when the UK stops following EU rules as the transition period comes to an end.

With the broad backing of his MPs, including the ERG group of Eurosceptic Tories, the prime minister is expected to win parliament's approval.

The Labour leader is also instructing his side to support the trade deal.

Sir Keir Starmer's said that the agreement is "thin" but suggested it’s better than no deal.

But at least a handful of his MPs look set to defy him.

Brexit has often caused division – and, at times, political turmoil.

But, after years of heated debate and hard negotiations, the country will soon start to find out what Brexit really means.

Image source, EU Commission

At a ceremony in Brussels, Charles Michel, President of the European Council, and Ursula Von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, have signed the Brexit agreement on behalf of the EU.

The document is officially titled EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

It will now be flown to London by the RAF, for the prime minister to sign later this morning.

Image source, PA

Here is what the day is shaping up to look like:

The House of Commons sitting begins at 09:30 GMT.

Before we get to the day’s main event, there will be a short procedural motion which will allow MPs to take part in the debate via video link (this was introduced in a bid to prevent the spread of Covid).

Then Boris Johnson will open the debate on the Brexit deal – or the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill to give its official title.

There are 84 MPs down to speak - including the former Prime Minister Theresa May.

The bill is expected to complete its journey through the Commons by about 14:30 GMT after which it will head to the House of Lords.

Debate there will begin by roughly 15:00 GMT.

Away from Brexit, Health Secretary Matt Hancock will give a statement in the Commons at 15:00 in which he is expected to announce tougher Covid rules for different parts of the country.