Brexit On Fast-Track: On Passage Of Deal In Uk Parliament



With the passage of Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal in British Parliament, it is now almost certain that the country would exit the European Union (EU) on or before the current deadline — January 31. Mr. Johnson became Prime Minister after his predecessor Theresa May’s repeated attempts to get lawmakers’ support for her Brexit deal failed. Mr. Johnson first reached a new agreement with the EU and then called fresh elections. With his party’s resounding win in the parliamentary election and a surge in the number of Brexiteers among Conservative lawmakers, the passage of the Bill in the House of Commons was a mere formality. The deal got the support of 358 lawmakers against 234. The agreement deals with issues such as citizens’ rights, the settlement amount the U.K. has agreed to pay the EU and an arrangement to avoid physical barriers between the Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, an EU member. The accord will be put on vote in the House of Commons once more, and then the upper chamber, the House of Lords, will vote on it. The formalities in the U.K. are expected to be over by early January and the deal will then go to the EU Parliament. Once the EU lawmakers ratify it (which is expected on January 29), the U.K. will formally exit the union.