British Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during the Prime Minister’s questioning session in the House of Commons in London, UK, 4 September 2019.
Jessica Taylor | © UK Parliament | Reuters
LONDON – UK lawmakers voted to approve the landmark Brexit trade deal, which will be implemented on New Year’s Day.
The House of Commons voted in favor of the deal, as expected, and the country will come out of the Brexit transition period with the EU on Thursday at 11 p.m. local time.
MPs backed the deal by 521 votes to 73 before the December 31 deadline. That’s a majority of 448. The bill now goes to the House of Lords, which is also expected to back it before it gets royal approval.
The opposition Labor party backed the deal despite concerns, but there were some rebel lawmakers in Labor and the ruling Conservative Party.
The 1,246-page document, details of which have been published on the UK government’s website, and fraught last-minute negotiations left little time for a thorough investigation before the deadline.
Scotland’s Prime Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, disapproved of the agreement, and the British fishing industry has given an icy reaction to it, accusing British Prime Minister Boris Johnson of assuring only a ‘fraction of what the UK believes. international law has and to which the government is entitled ‘. has said repeatedly it would secure on behalf of the UK fishing industry. “
About 47 years after joining the European Union, Britain officially left the bloc on January 31, 2020, making it the first nation to ever leave the EU. However, it agreed to continue to follow European rules until the end of 2020, so that it could negotiate more friendly trade terms with the 27 other countries.
On Christmas Eve, the two sides reached a “zero tariff zero quota agreement” to facilitate trade in goods across the English Channel. It brought relief to exporters on both sides who would have faced higher tariffs and costs had an agreement not been reached.
The two sides have been engaged in intense discussions since March to determine how trade will work from January. On Monday, the EU ambassadors approved a preliminary application for the deal after the Christmas holidays go through. The European Parliament will vote on the agreement next month.