Arguing over commas' Why negotiations went right down to the wire

For weeks, Keir Starmer had stayed tight-lipped about what was on the table in his negotiations as part of a UK-EU deal, insisting, in line with Brussels, that "nothing is agreed until everything is agreed".

- Kiran Stacey Jessica Elgot Jennifer Rankin

But just days before yesterday's summit, the prime minister seemed to make a concession and pave the way for a youth mobility scheme, telling the Times: "Youth mobility is not freedom of movement."

People close to the talks say French officials seized this as their moment to push much harder on fishing rights, arguing for indefinite quotas rather than the four-year ones which British officials thought had been accepted. The talks lasted until about 2am yesterday morning, when Starmer signed off on a deal that included 12-year-long quotas.

Anand Menon, the director of the UK in a Changing Europe thinktank, said: "The EU has used the fact that we were the demandeur to leverage what they have long wanted. The French will be absolutely chuffed. There is no doubt that we had to concede on that."

It was a major concession by Starmer, but one that allowed him to declare a few hours later: "Britain is back on the world stage."

Despite the prime minister's best efforts to restore order to Britain's international relations, the final 48 hours of his first major negotiation with Brussels ended in the same way as those of his predecessors - with frantic phone calls and late-night concessions.

Both sides insist it was worth it, however, bringing certainty to businesses and reinforcing the UK's position as a trusted external partner to the EU.

From the beginning, Starmer aimed to show that EU negotiations could be carried out differently - quietly and without what he calls "megaphone diplomacy".