Good things are worth waiting for, and a little over 4 years and 6 months since the EU Referendum result, the deal is done! The superb memories of the amazing Referendum result night are still with me, and the announcement of a free trade deal was a real cause for celebration - English Sparkling Wine, Scottish beef, Jersey potatoes....

This free trade deal between the UK and the EU is a phenomenal achievement. Trade deals can take decades to get over the line – and in about 10 months, both sides have accomplished a momentous task.

I’ve always maintained that an agreement was there to be done, and this deal returns sovereignty and full political and economic control to our shores. We can now drive the direction of our money, borders, laws, trade and also importantly, our fishing rights. 

And we can now conduct trade deals as one United Kingdom – together. Businesses can take advantage of the first free trade agreement based on zero tariffs and zero quotas, and this big bilateral deal will provide certainty for manufacturing, aviation, the car industry and professional services. A points-based immigration system puts an end to free movement. The integrity of our internal market and NI’s place within it is protected. We are outside the EU State Aid regime, and the European Court of Justice will no longer have a place in our legal system. 

After a year of COVID challenges and uncertainty, the sunlit uplands - vaccine roll out and global trade deals - are on the horizon.

We will use this opportunity to redefine and reset our place in the world, using our ingenuity and expertise across multiple industries to promote free trade, human rights, decarbonisation and brilliant scientific innovation.  

Parliament will vote on this deal today and I hope my colleagues, on both sides of the House, will support the Government and set Great Britain on its exciting new pathway. 

January 1st brings a huge moment of change for us all. But let this be the catalyst for the UK to redefine our place in the world. Let us seize the opportunities that our new position brings. Let’s use this as the positive push for our post-COVID recovery. The Roaring Twenties can now truly begin!

This article originally appeared in The Daily Express.