SOUTH Dorset MP Richard Drax has praised Prime Minister Boris Johnson for holding his nerve to sign a 'miracle' post-Brexit trade deal with the EU - which he described as a ‘momentous period in our island’s history’.

The deal was secured on Christmas Eve, a week before previous trading arrangements expired – and was overwhelmingly approved by MPs in a parliamentary vote to bring it into UK law.

The agreement was reached after months of fraught talks on issues including fishing rights and business rules, and fears the UK would leave the EU without a deal.

Scrutiny of the treaty then began in earnest when the 1,246-page document was officially published by a self-styled 'star chamber' of lawyers led by veteran Eurosceptic MP Sir Bill Cash - before being backed by the Commons by 521 to 73 votes after Parliament was recalled.

Brexiteer Mr Drax said: “I must hand it to the Prime Minister, he’s pulled off a deal with the EU against all the odds. What’s more he’s stuck to his word and delivered on the verdict of the EU referendum, which seems light years ago now.

“Back in 2006, when I first became involved in standing for Parliament, I adopted the battle cry: “We want our country back”. Being an optimist, I strove to deliver on what I believed was best for our country and, along with many others, fought to regain our sovereignty.

“Despite the EU’s best efforts to derail Mr Johnson and his team, they held their nerve right to the last minute, coming away with a miracle deal that we can all live with.

“Having experienced first-hand the underbelly of politics, I remained sceptical until the European Research Group’s ‘Star Chamber’ reported back that the deal passed muster.

“It was not the Prime Minister I mistrusted, just politics in general, so I can now praise and thank Mr Johnson for pulling off this remarkable coup and once again putting us in control of our laws, borders and money.

“I also praise Sir William Cash, my friend, and in so many ways my mentor, who has fought the EU’s stranglehold for decades

“For me, personally, this is a triumph against all the odds, and I am confident that generations to come will look back at this momentous period in our island’s history and say we did the right thing.

“So, we end the year a sovereign country once again, free to make our own way in the world, a role we must now relish.”

The majority of Labour MPs voted for the agreement after leader Sir Keir Starmer said a ‘thin deal was better than no deal’.

The UK severed its ties with the EU 11pm on Thursday, four-and-a-half years after the Brexit referendum.