Britain’s EU divorce bill becomes law

Britain’s delayed and disputed Brexit bill became law Thursday, removing the last U.K. obstacle to the country leaving the European Union in just over a week.

The U.K. is finally leaving the 28-nation bloc more than 3½ years after voters narrowly opted to do so in a June 2016 referendum — and after interminable rounds of political wrangling.

Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans announced Thursday in the House of Commons that the Withdrawal Agreement Act had received royal assent from Queen Elizabeth II, the final formality in its legislative journey. An identical announcement was made by the speaker of Parliament’s upper House of Lords.

Evans’ brief announcement, which drew cheers of “Hear! Hear!” from Conservative lawmakers in the Commons, came hours after the bill completed its passage through Parliament late Wednesday by getting approval from the House of Lords.

“At times, it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we’ve done it,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

The EU Parliament also must ratify the Brexit divorce deal before Jan. 31, Britain’s scheduled departure date. The EU Parliament’s constitutional affairs committee voted by a large margin Thursday to approve the Brexit withdrawal deal, preparing the way for a vote of all European lawmakers in Brussels next Wednesday.

“It’s a historical moment, albeit a somber moment, for us. We deeply regret this outcome,” committee chairman Antonio Tajani said after the 23-3 vote.

After years of divorce negotiations between the British government and the EU, U.K. lawmakers repeatedly defeated attempts by Johnson and his predecessor, Theresa May, to finalize Britain’s departure terms with the other 27 nations of the bloc.