Although the UK prime minister is facing a backlash from his predecessor Johnson and other Eurosceptics over his “landmark” reset deal with the EU, Starmer and his officials insisted they had presided over successful negotiations, leaving Britain better off and more secure.

Britain has struck new agreements with the European Union on boosting defense cooperation, easing food trade and border checks.

The new EU deal has been described in Scotland as both a "betrayal" and "breakthrough", and will affect businesses in different ways. The harshest criticism has come from the commercial sea fishing industry which has reacted angrily to a 12-year extension of the initial post-Brexit fishing agreement.