INTRO:
EU leaders have signed off on the Withdrawal Agreement for the UK's exit from the European Union.
Despite a tumultuous week for the deal, it took the leaders meeting at a summit in Brussels only 8 minutes to give their assent.
From Brussels, Jack Parrock brings us this report.
IN: European Union leaders
OUT: SOC
DUR: 3 mins 26 secs
REPORTER VO:
European Union leaders have given their approval to a deal arranging how the UK leaves the bloc.
European Council President Donald Tusk
SOT: Donald Tusk - European Council President
"Regardless of how it all ends, one thing is certain, we will remain friends until the end of days, and one day longer."
REPORTER VO:
Indeed that mood among EU leaders hasn't been positive - perhaps resigned would be a better way to describe it.
The Luxembourgish PM Xavier Bettel insisted the summit was a divorce and not a funeral.
There was a last minute challenge to the deal from EU member state Spain which has a dispute with the UK over the ownership of the Rock of Gibraltar just off it's coast.
Britain has accepted Spanish demands that that issue is resolved bilaterally after Brexit and not within EU trade negotiations.
It's been a rough ride for British prime minister Theresa May over the past few weeks - and she now has to sell this deal at home.
SOT: Theresa May - UK Prime Minister
"The British people don't want to spend any more time arguing about Brexit. They want a good deal done that fulfils the vote and allows us to come together again as a country. So I will take this deal back to the house of commons confident that we have achieved the best deal available, and full of optimism about the future of our country, in parliament and beyond it, I will make the case for this deal with all my heart."
REPORTER VO:
The deal outlines a protection for the rights of EU citizens living in the UK and vice versa. It also agrees a settlement payment of around 50 billion dollars the UK must pay, and lays out the political declaration for the start of talks about the UK's future relationship with the EU.
It outlines a transition period which will keep the UK in almost the same trading status for the next few years.
And it's not over yet.
This deal still needs to be voted on in the UK and European Parliaments - if voted down, the UK could leave the EU on march the 29th next year without a deal.
Observers like Shada Islam from Friends of Europe believe that wouldn't end well.
SOT: Shada Islam - Friends of Europe
"The worst scenario for everyone is a no deal Brexit. Britain crashing out of a 45-year-old marriage with no arrangements, with no agreements this is going to affect not just the economy but the people. This is going to be an absolute disaster, a tragedy actually. Catastrophe."
REPORTER VO:
The deal the EU leaders have signed off on here is hated by many in the UK parliament who have to vote on it.
The Northern Irish DUP party which props up the British government is fiercely against a safety net plan known as a backstop within the agreement which could see their country come under slightly separate customs arrangements if the UK can't secure a trade deal with the EU before the end of 2022.
If it's voted down, Brussels is saying there won't be a chance for renegotiation.
Take a listen to EU Commission president Jean-Claude Jucnker.
SOT: EU Commisson president Jean-Claude Jucnker
"This is the best deal possible, this is the only deal possible."
REPORTER VO:
There's still a rumbling movement in Britain for a second refendum - the government doesn't want that. But if the deal isn't approved in Westminster, it's likely all bets will be off on what could happen next.
Jack Parrock, CRI, Brussels.