Britain to be Europe’s best friend after divorce, says Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson will claim Britain will be ‘the best friend and ally the EU could have’ as the Brexit deal is signed off in Brussels.

Boris Johnson wants to reassure the EU states that Britain sees Brexit as a resolution, not as a rupture. Picture: AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will claim that the UK will be “the best friend and ally the European Union could have” when he signs the Brexit trade deal in Brussels before being whisked back across the Channel in a military jet for final signatures at 10 Downing Street.

The last-minute approvals for the trade deal will avoid a messy, no-deal interim period and will include an unusual early recall of parliament on this last day of the year. The bill will be approved by the House of Commons and the Lords and granted Royal Assent by the Queen in less than 12 hours.

The European Union (Future Relationship) Bill is expected to pass easily, after the hardcore Brexiteers approved the 1246-page treaty because the key part of the deal gives Britain back its sovereignty, and Labour leader Keir Starmer has promised his support, despite some expected backbench rebellion. The Democratic Unionist Party and the Scottish National Party are expected to vote against the bill.

Despite this, there are still concerns in Britain about the lack of clarity around financial services, the generous allocation of fishing rights to the EU and the sovereignty of Gibraltar.

Unless there is a quick separate resolution, there is expected to be border chaos between Gibraltar and Spain. The EU gave provisional approval to the bill through a meeting of EU ambassadors on Wednesday (AEDT).

The bill will come into effect at 11pm on Thursday in the UK, or midnight in the EU (10am on Friday in Australia), as the Brexit transition period ends and Britain leaves the EU single market and the customs union.

Mr Johnson was preparing to tell the Commons: “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 co-operate with our European neighbours on the closest terms of friendship and goodwill, whilst retaining ­sovereign control of our laws and our national destiny.”

He was to tell the nation that this represents “a new chapter in our national story” as Britain is once again able to trade freely with Europe while at the same time also negotiating deals with other countries outside of the EU.

Britain is negotiating a free trade deal with Australia, with talks due to restart in February.

Mr Johnson was due to say that he wants to reassure the EU states that Britain sees Brexit as a resolution, not as a rupture.

He was to say: “We shall be a friendly neighbour — 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 parliament.”