The Brexit trade deal agreed on Christmas Eve can be an “enormously unifying moment for our country”, the chancellor has said.
Rishi Sunak said anyone who is worried about the economic implications of the breach with Brussels should be “enormously reassured about the comprehensive nature” of the agreement.
The deal gives that reassurance, he said, because it provides a “stable regulatory co-operative framework”.
Mr Sunak said the UK’s financial services industry is “something to be proud of”, and will remain open for new relationships and trading.
But he said there would be changes in the financial world, because leaving the EU means we can “do things a bit differently”.
He added: “We will remain in close dialogue with our European partners when it comes to things like equivalence decisions.”
There is light at the end of the tunnel, Mr Sunak said, and we can look forward to a brighter future.
Turning to the pandemic, the chancellor said the government had “made good” on its promise to provide the NHS with everything it needs.
The UK is making “really good progress” on rolling out the coronavirus vaccine, he added.
His comments come as the pharmaceutical boss behind the Oxford vaccine says researchers have found a “winning formula” to improve the jab’s efficacy.