British PM Johnson to present Brexit bill to MPs on Friday
London, UK - Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government intends to present a bill to parliament on Friday to enable Britain to leave the European Union next month, his spokesman said.
“We plan to start the process before Christmas and will do so in the proper constitutional way in discussion with the speaker (of the House of Commons),” Johnson’s spokesman said.
The announcement came as Johnson begins a new week with a fresh mandate to fulfil his promise to push through his election promise to ‘Get Brexit Done’ on January 31.
His gamble to call an early election to give him a majority in parliament to get approval of his divorce deal paid off spectacularly last week.
His governing Conservative party won 365 seats - a majority of 80 - at the expense of the main opposition Labour Party, which was offering a second referendum on continued membership.
The smaller Liberal Democrats, which wanted to scrap
Brexit altogether, also saw its number of MPs fall.
Johnson’s spokesman indicated the presentation of the bill could involve a vote by MPs but that would ultimately depend on the speaker.
“We will present a bill which will ensure we get Brexit done before the end of January. It will reflect the agreements made with the EU on our withdrawal.”
Northern Ireland for fresh talks
Northern Ireland’s squabbling parties met on Monday in the hope of reviving their powersharing regional government after three years.
The politically and socially volatile province has been without an administration since January 2017.
The power-sharing executive between the pro-British, conservative Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and leftwing Irish republicans Sinn Fein crumbled in a breakdown of trust following a misspending scandal.
But the United Kingdom’s impending exit from the European Union has given the parties new impetus to find common ground.