The long road to reach a deal

Talks have stretched - on and off - for more than a year.

There were real low points; particularly when the EU started suing the UK, infuriated by government plans to potentially start scrapping parts of the mutually-agreed treaty.

It seemed as though the two sides might be heading for a “trade war” unless someone blinked. In the end, they both did.

Rishi Sunak paused the legislation and Brussels effectively hit pause too on its legal action. Negotiations intensified and the mood changed. Gone were the days where diplomats would...