A POST-BREXIT trade deal has been agreed by negotiators from the UK and the European Union after months of talks and frantic last-minute wrangling.

A UK source said the deal delivered “everything that the British public was promised during the 2016 referendum”.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen were in close contact over recent days to help get the deal over the line.

But negotiations led by the EU’s Michel Barnier and the UK’s Lord Frost continued throughout the day as final details were hammered out.

READ MORE: Nicola Sturgeon furious as Brexit deal excludes key Scottish export

Upon hearing the news this afternoon, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted: “Before the spin starts, it’s worth remembering that Brexit is happening against Scotland’s will.

"And there is no deal that will ever make up for what Brexit takes away from us. It’s time to chart our own future as an independent, European nation.”

Scotland voted by 62% to Remain in the EU back in 2016. 

The SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford echoed the sentiment, saying the deal will lead to Scotland being poorer. 

“The UK is taking us out of the best deal possible that ends free movement, takes us out of the single market and customs union ending economic, social and cultural opportunities," he wrote on Twitter.

Constitution Secretary Michael Russell referenced Michel Barnier's comment that today is a day of relief tinged with sadness. 

He said for him there is relief in the knowledge "that Scotland can choose to leave this mess behind".

Speaking from Brussels this afternoon European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she'd normally feel joy at the end of successful negotiations.

“But today I only feel quiet satisfaction and – frankly speaking – relief," she said.

“I know this is a difficult day for some.

“To our friends in the UK, I want to say: parting is such sweet sorrow.

“But to use a line from TS Eliot: what we call the beginning is often the end, and to make an end is to make a beginning.

“So to all the Europeans, I say: It is time to leave Brexit behind, our future is made in Europe.”

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Meanwhile Downing Street sung the praises of the deal.

They said: “The deal also guarantees that we are no longer in the lunar pull of the EU, we are not bound by EU rules, there is no role for the European Court of Justice and all of our key red lines about returning sovereignty have been achieved. It means that we will have full political and economic independence on January 1 2021.

“A points-based immigration system will put us in full control of who enters the UK and free movement will end

“We have delivered this great deal for the entire United Kingdom in record time, and under extremely challenging conditions, which protects the integrity of our internal market and Northern Ireland’s place within it.

“We have got Brexit done and we can now take full advantage of the fantastic opportunities available to us as an independent trading nation, striking trade deals with other partners around the world.”

Boris Johnson tweeted a picture of himself with his thumbs up celebrating the agreement.

In Scotland, Tories and Labour figures reacted to the news. 

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard (below), who had called for an extension to talks while UK leader Keir Starmer did not, said the deal was better than No Deal. 

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Hower, he added: "Boris Johnson's irresponsible brinksmanship and his gross mismanagement of this process from start to finish has caused huge economic uncertainty.

"Against the backdrop of Covid, the worst crisis the UK has faced since the Second World War, the Tories have left workers and businesses on the cliff edge of a disastrous 'No Deal' by leaving it to the 11th hour to secure a deal.

"We must now look at the detail of the deal, and move on with a plan to protect jobs, incomes and our public services in Scotland, as we face a pandemic-driven recession."

Scottish Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, who is also the party's finance spokesperson, tweeted: "I’ve never been a great fan of either Brexit or @BorisJohnson, but credit where it is due: this is the deal that the UK needs to move forward and support jobs. Well done all, especially @DavidGHFrost."

Party leader Douglas Ross said securing the deal avoiding a withdrawl with no agreement was "great news". 

He commented: "Crucially, this will protect Scottish jobs and our fishing communities will be far better off without the hated Common Fisheries Policy.

“It is vital that we now move on from past divisions and focus entirely on working together to fight coronavirus and rebuild Scotland’s economy.”

Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie was critical about the lack of time available to scrutinise the deal. 

“Boris Johnson has already caused huge damage by playing games of brinkmanship right up to seven days before the end of the transition period," the MSP said. 

"There will now be some sense of relief that the dangerous prospect of crashing out with No Deal has been averted. However, there is now no time for anything but the most cursory scrutiny in either Parliament.

“The country is being given a take-it-or-leave-it deal, but we won't be able to debate the detail, and the one thing we know is that the cost of Brexit remains high.

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“In the long run, I believe we will look back on this as a period of extraordinarily incompetent government from the UK, but ultimately as only a brief interruption in Scotland's place in Europe. We will take our future into our own hands, and we will re-join.”

Businesses also gave their take on the deal, with David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, describing it as "positive news". 

However, he said the UK and EU must now "seek to minimise the checks and red tape on imports that are expected from January onwards".

READ MORE: Brexit deal to deliver 'devastating blow' to Scotland's seed potato industry

Tavish Scott, chief executive of the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation, also said that despite the deal there were still concerns.

He said: “We are pleased the negotiators have at last secured a deal. This will alleviate some of the serious problems that would come from a No-Deal Brexit.

“But we still have concerns. The disruption at the Channel right now is hitting our members’ ability to export. Brexit means the Scottish salmon sector now face the reality of lots more red tape, bureaucracy and paperwork which are the reality of the extra trade barriers which come with Brexit.

“So until we see how this UK-EU agreement actually works in practice, it is impossible to make a clear judgement on how the new trading arrangement in 2021 will affect salmon farming.”

He said that salmon farming’s big worry remains the potential for disruption at the Channel.

Scott went on: “Salmon is a perishable product and any delay in getting the fish to our European markets will have serious consequences.

“If consignments end up being stuck in queues of traffic for hours, the knock-on effects on eventual market price can be severe. That is exactly what we have seen since Sunday. So the omens are not good.”

James Withers, chief executive of Scottish Food and Drink, said the deal had come "ridiculously late in the day" but welcomed the fact it was not a No Deal. 

He urged the UK Government to now seek a grace period on the introduction of new export checks on January 1.

Withers said: “Businesses cannot afford more disruption after a nightmare year and a Christmas export trade that has been ruined for many. If they face more losses through no fault of their own, UK Government will have to be ready with financial aid.”