British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the Prime Minister’s questioning session at the House of Commons in London, UK, on September 4, 2019.
Jessica Taylor | © Parliament of the United Kingdom | Reuters
LONDON – British lawmakers voted to approve the historic Brexit trade deal, which will take effect on New Year’s Day.
The House of Commons, as expected, voted in favor of the deal and the country will emerge from its Brexit transition period with the EU on Thursday at 11pm local time.
Members of Parliament backed the deal by 521 votes against and 73 ahead of the December 31 deadline. This is a majority of 448. The bill will now be moved to the House of Lords, which is also expected to support it, before receiving royal assent.
The opposition Labor Party supported the deal despite concerns, but there were some lawmakers rebelling against Labor and the ruling Conservative party.
The 1,246-page document, details of which are posted on the UK government’s website, and so many last-minute negotiations left little time for proper control before the deadline.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon expressed disapproval of the deal and the UK fishing industry gave an icy response, accusing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of securing only a “fraction of what the UK is entitled under international law and what the government has repeatedly said it would insure on behalf of the UK fishing industry ”.
About 47 years after joining the European Union, Britain officially left the bloc on 31 January 2020. In doing so, it became the first nation to leave the EU. However, it agreed to continue following European standards until the end of 2020 in order to be able to negotiate more friendly trade conditions with the other 27 nations.
On Christmas night, the two sides reached a “zero tariff-zero quota agreement” to help soften trade in goods across the English Channel. It provided relief to exporters on both sides who would have faced higher tariffs and costs if no agreement had been reached.
The two sides had been embroiled in intense talks since March to establish how the trade would run from January. On Monday, EU ambassadors approved a provisional request for the agreement after work during the Christmas holidays. The EU Parliament will vote on the agreement next month.