‘Keep the light on’: joy for some, regret for others at the end of Brexit | Politics

Some UK and EU politicians have expressed their triumph while others have expressed deep regret after the end of the UK’s Brexit transition period on Thursday evening.

Britain left the European bloc’s vast single market for goods, services and the movement of people at 11 p.m. GMT on New Years Eve – midnight in Brussels – completing the biggest economic change the country has seen since the Second World War.

For some, including the Prime Minister, it was a moment of pride. Boris Johnson said the UK is now “free to make trade deals around the world and free to spur our ambition to be a science superpower.”

But in Scotland, who voted forcefully in the 2016 Brexit referendum to stay, pro-independence Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Scotland will be back soon, Europe. Keep the light on.

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage, who played a key role in the 2016 Brexit referendum, tweeted: “25 years ago they were all laughing at me. Well, they’re not laughing anymore.

He also wrote: “This is a great moment for our country, a giant step forward. It’s time to raise a glass. BrexitAtLast. “

UK chief Brexit negotiator Lord Frost said the UK has a ‘great future ahead of us’ with the opportunity to ‘build a better country for all of us’.

Tory MP Bill Cash, who has campaigned for Brexit for decades, said it was a ‘victory for democracy and sovereignty’.

Across the Channel, the view was different. In his end-of-year speech, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his regret. “The UK remains our neighbor but also our friend and ally,” he said. “This choice to leave Europe, this Brexit, was the result of European malaise and a lot of lies and false promises.”

Divorce could also have major constitutional repercussions for the UK. Northern Ireland, which shares a border with the EU-member Republic of Ireland, remains more closely tied to the EU economy amid divorce, a status some fear could push it away from the rest of the UK.

Many Britons have felt apprehension about Brexit amid a pandemic that has changed life around the world. “I am very sad that we are leaving,” said Jen Pearcy-Edwards, filmmaker in London.

“I think Covid has overshadowed everything that’s going on. But I think the other thing that has happened is that people feel a greater sense of community, and I think that makes it even sadder that we are blowing up our community a bit, leaving our neighbors in Europe.

“I hope we find other ways to rebuild the bonds.”