The ambassadors of the 27 member states of the European Union have unanimously approved the provisional implementation of a post-Brexit trade agreement, a German spokesman confirmed Monday.
Why it’s important: This is an expected but crucial step to avoid a potentially catastrophic “no deal” Brexit on 1 January, days after the UK government and the European Commission announced that they had made impressive progress after months of stalled negotiations.
What to see: The UK House of Commons will meet to vote on the deal on Wednesday.
- Opposition Labor leader Keir Starmer has urged lawmakers to support the deal, guaranteeing that Prime Minister Boris Johnson will have the votes he needs for the deal to go through Parliament.
- The European Parliament will vote to fully approve the agreement in the new year, but it will still enter into force provisionally to avoid a Brexit on the edge of the cliff on 1 January.
The big picture: Even with the implementation of the agreement, which describes many of the terms of the UK’s new relationship with its closest and largest trading partner, the British government he warned businesses and citizens to prepare for some “bumpy moments” when the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December.
In depth: The UK and the EU reach a historic post-Brexit trade agreement