BORIS JOHNSON WINS VOTE ON BREXIT DEAL 358-234 VOTE PUTS BRITAIN ON TRACK FOR JAN 31 EXIT FROM EU
LONDON: The United Kingdom is set to leave the European Union on January 31, as promised by Prime Minister Boris Johnson after the House of Commons on Friday passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.
An upbeat Johnson sought to unite the house that was bitterly divided since the 2016 EU referendum, which made it impossible for former prime minister Theresa May to get the agreement bill passed on three occasions.
“Now is the moment - as we leave the European Union - to reunite our country… because this Bill, and this juncture in our national story must not be seen as a victory for one party or one faction over another,” Johnson told MPs before the vote.
Lawmakers voted by 358 to 234 to pass the second reading of the legislation.While Johnson had the support of his 365 Conservative lawmakers in the 650-seat lower house, some opposition members criticised him for removing the opportunity for parliament to have oversight over his negotiating priorities in the next phase of talks, and for getting rid of workers’ protections.
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn described it as “terrible”.
“This deal does not bring certainty for communities or for business or for the workforce, in fact it does the opposite and hardwires the risk of a no-deal Brexit next year,” he said.
The bill’s passage marks a key stage to complete parliamentary processes in time for the deadline of January 31. The bill turns the withdrawal agreement, which is a draft international treaty reached by the previous Johnson government with Brussels in October, into UK law.
On January 31, the UK will cease to be EU member, but in practice it will continue in the EU customs union, the single market and obey EU rules until the end of the transition period ending December 31, 2020. It will no longer be represented in the EU parliament or council of ministers.
The challenge will then be to reach a trade agreement with the EU by December 31, 2020. Johnson insists the agreement is possible in 11 months, while critics and others believe the history of reaching international trade deals goes against such optimism.
EU officials warn that such deals usually take years to hammer out.
The government has the option before July 1 to ask Brussels for an extension of the transition period beyond December 31, 2020 for one or two years, but the government has insisted it would not do so, raising concerns of a no-deal Brexit.
It puts psychological pressure on European officials to back off some of their stiffer demands on London and seek a limited deal that leaves some big issues unresolved. The prime minister said the lesson of Brexit talks thus far was that a firm deadline “strengthens our negotiating position”.
The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said on Tuesday that the bloc “will do the maximum” to meet the deadline.