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Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels was signed into law after a 14-hour parliamentary process that has radically redesigned the UK’s ties to Europe.
The prime minister thanked MPs and colleagues for passing the European Union (future relationship) bill in one day, in a statement urging the nation to “seize” the moment when the transition period with the bloc ends. at 11 pm on Thursday.
It was announced that the Queen had given her approval to the European Union bill (future relationship) at 12.25 pm on Thursday morning. His signing puts the UK-EU deal into British law, preventing a no-deal Brexit at 11pm Thursday when the transition period ends.
It was held after the revocation of parliament for a one-day emergency session to approve the EU-UK trade and cooperation agreement, concluded by the Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on Christmas Eve.
Johnson said: “The fate of this great country now rests firmly in our hands. We undertake this duty with a sense of purpose and with the interests of the British public at the center of everything we do.
“11 pm on December 31 marks a new beginning in the history of our country and a new relationship with the EU as its greatest ally. This moment is finally upon us and now is the time to seize it. “
The House of Lords gave the bill a third unopposed reading Wednesday night, hours after MPs passed it by 521 votes to 73, a majority of 448.
The deal comes four and a half years after the Brexit referendum vote to remove the UK from the European Union, but its swift passage has raised concerns from MPs and colleagues that the bill has not been properly vetted. .
MPs expressed concern over the document, saying it had failed to secure access to security databases, broke promises on fishing rights in UK waters and left unanswered border questions in Gibraltar and Northern Ireland.
Johnson’s deal easily passed through the Commons with Labor support, though the Liberal Democrats, the SNP and the Democratic Unionist Party voted against it. After four hours of debate, the deputies voted 521-73 to give the bill a third reading.
Johnson opened the Commons debate on the UK’s post-Brexit trade deal with the EU shortly after 10am on Wednesday morning.
The prime minister told MPs that the deal would redefine the UK’s relationship with the EU. “We are taking this moment to forge a fantastic new relationship with our European neighbors, based on free trade and friendly cooperation,” he said.
“We have done this in less than a year, in the midst of a pandemic, and we have moved forward with this task, resisting all calls of delay, precisely because creating certainty about our future provides the best chance to beat Covid and rebound. even stronger next year. “
Labor did not amend the bill, which will take the trade agreement into effect at 11 p.m. on Dec. 31, to include additional protections for worker rights and environmental standards and support for business readiness.
Labor leader Keir Starmer described the deal as “thin” but said Labor would back it because the alternative would be devastating for Britain.
