Post-Brexit trade deal backed by European Parliament

MEPs voted overwhelmingly in support of the deal thrashed out by the UK and European Union on Christmas Eve.
Composite image of the EU and UK flags
PA Archive
David Hughes28 April 2021

Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal has cleared its final hurdle after the European Parliament overwhelmingly voted to back it.

MEPs in Brussels gave their consent to the deal by 660 votes to five, with 32 abstentions.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the vote and said the Trade and Co-operation Agreement “marks the foundation of a strong and close partnership with the UK”.

But in an acknowledgement of EU concerns about the Prime Minister’s approach to deals with Brussels, she warned that “faithful implementation is essential”.

The UK and EU are at odds over the way the earlier Brexit divorce deal is being implemented in Northern Ireland.

There are a few remaining formalities which need to be completed before the deal struck by Mr Johnson and the EU on Christmas Eve last year is finally ratified.

The Prime Minister said: “This week is the final step in a long journey, providing stability to our new relationship with the EU as vital trading partners, close allies and sovereign equals.

“Now is the time to look forward to the future and to building a more global Britain.”

Brexit Minister Lord Frost said the vote was an “important moment”.

“Today’s vote brings certainty and allows us to focus on the future,” Lord Frost said.

“There will be much for us and the EU to work on together through the new partnership council and we are committed to working to find solutions that work for both of us.

“We will always aim to act in that positive spirit but we will also always stand up for our interests when we must – as a sovereign country in full control of our own destiny.”

European Council president Charles Michel said the approval of the deal “marks a major step forward” in UK-EU relations and “opens a new era”.

He said Brussels will work constructively with the UK as an “important friend and partner”.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in