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Prime Minister Boris Johnson's British Conservative government has continued the process of getting legislation for a departure from EU approved at the Lower House. The British parliamentarians gave the green light for further consideration with 358 against 234 votes.
That means that Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government can now continue to work. It also means that another important step has been taken. The legislation must go through several stages in parliament. The full law must be passed on January 9 at the latest. Johnson wants the United Kingdom to formally leave the European Union by the end of next month (in 42 days).
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has substantially amended the bill prior to the first session of the new parliament. All sorts of compromises that Johnson had added earlier this year to cater to opposition parties, the prime minister has taken out again.
In the new version, Johnson has removed the possibility to extend the transition phase. If no trade agreement has been concluded with the European Union before the end of 2020, the United Kingdom will leave anyway and there will still be a chaotic break. According to sources on Downing Street, Johnson is aiming for a trade agreement such as that between EU and Canada, which only focuses on goods and not on services.
