AFTER years of intense and sometimes bitter debate, the UK Government has finally crossed the “Brexit finish line” at Westminster with the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill completing its passage through the Commons and the Lords.
The landmark parliamentary event will be completed when Royal Assent is given; expected on Thursday with just over a week to go to Brexit Day on January 31.
After all the Lords amendments were overturned in the Commons – including ones on respecting the views of the devolved legislatures and protecting the rights of unaccompanied refugee children - peers decided to bow to the will of the elected Commons and decided to end the legislative tussle.
Last night, Boris Johnson issued a statement, saying: “Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on January 31 and move forwards as one United Kingdom.
“At times, it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line but we’ve done it.
“Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future; with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country,” added the Prime Minister.
The expectation is that Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, will sign the Withdrawal Agreement in Brussels on Friday with Mr Johnson signing it in the UK in the coming days. The European Parliament is due to hold its consent vote next Wednesday.
Earlier on Wednesday, the PM in a Facebook broadcast from Downing St insisted the UK and EU would, after Brexit, strike an "all-singing, all-dancing" trade deal.
He said: "It's massively in our interests - in the interests for both sides of the Channel - to have a wonderful, zero-tariff, zero-quota, all-singing, all-dancing FTA [free-trade agreement]. I'm absolutely confident that we can do that."
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