Hello and welcome to NewsHour from the BBC World Service.
I'm Celia Hatton and I'm coming to you live from our studio in central London.
Not far from here this morning,
lots of smiles and kisses on the cheek as a new deal is announced between the United Kingdom and the European Union.
Nine years after the UK voted to leave the EU after a razor-thin victory in favour of Brexit,
the divorce proceedings,
which have started have then led to a fresh start between the UK and the EU's 27 remaining states.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen,
was beaming as she took to the podium alongside the UK's Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer.
Dear Keir, what we have agreed today is historic.
It will make a real difference to people in the UK and across our Union.
But the message we are sending to the world today is equally, if not more important.
It is a message that at a time of global instability and when our continent faces the greatest threat it has for generations,
we in Europe stick together.
A little less smiley, but no less positive.
Sir Keir said the wide-ranging agreement,
which covers everything from food to defence and passport checks, was a win-win.
It's time to look forward.
It's time to move on from the stale old debates and political fights to focus on delivering common sense,
practical solutions which get the best for the British people.