In his New Year broadcast message, Johnson said, “This is an amazing moment for this country. We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it.”

He said there are hopes in the current crisis, such as the development of COVID-19 vaccines by companies from the UK and other countries.

The UK has now completely separated from the EU, after a transition period lasting 11 months since the withdrawal agreement took effect and more than 4 years after British voters chose to leave the EU.