The new British Parliament, which emerged from the 12 December general election and is largely dominated by Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Tories, approved the draft agreement for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU by a large majority on Friday 20 December. The text was adopted by 358 votes to 234, a majority of 124 in favour of the British leader.
It took four attempts to cross this threshold, after the first very chaotic votes in the British Parliament in the spring under Theresa May’s mandate (see EUROPE 12225/1).
The text adopted on Friday provides a framework for the withdrawal process and will allow legislators to ratify the withdrawal agreement in the coming weeks with a view to exiting the EU on 31 January. Ratification is expected to be finalised after the holidays, starting on 7 January, with a review of the text and possible amendments in committee, a passage through the House of Lords and the assent of the Queen.
The European Parliament, for its part, is expected to vote on the draft agreement at the end of January at the Brussels mini-plenary, once the procedures have been completed in London. Boris Johnson said immediately afterward that the vote meant that the country is “one step closer to getting Brexit done”.
The draft text for Britain’s withdrawal from the EU presented to MEPs reiterated the terms of the 17 October agreement (see EUROPE 12351/2) and also included a ban on extending the transition period, which is due to end on 31 December 2020.
The Prime Minister had also cut back on previous commitments to align with EU rules for workers, according to Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party MPs, who were urged to vote against.
The leader of the Brexit Party, Nigel Farage, called the moment “historic”, given that “Brexit is happening”.
On the European side, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said on Twitter that the vote by British MPs was an “important step” in the ratification of the withdrawal agreement, adding also that a level playing field remains an imperative “for any future relationship”.
As a reminder, the draft agreement lays down rules on the rights of the 4.5 million European and British citizens living on both sides of the Channel, regulates the UK’s financial commitments until the end of 2020 and sets up a special protocol for Northern Ireland. It also provides an initial framework for the future relationship, which, in terms of trade, currently resembles a straightforward free trade agreement. (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)