Brexit trade deal with European Union gets UK MPs approval

Members of the UK Parliament on Wednesday voted in favour
of a bill making the post-Brexit trade deal a British law till January 1 by 521 to 73 votes, reported news agency PTI.

British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had recalled Parliament from its Christmas break to get the Brexit free trade agreement (FTA) cleared through all parliamentary stages.

The 80-page long EU (Future Relationship) Bill, which comes after a last-minute deal agreed
with the EU last week was debated by MPs in the House of Commons
followed by the House of Lords.

Also Read: EU chiefs sign post-Brexit trade deal with Britain

“What we sought was not a rupture but a resolution,
a resolution of the old and vexed question of Britain’s political relations
with Europe, which believed our post-War history,” said Johnson in his opening speech in the House.

The majority of opposition MPs are also believed to have voted for the agreement after labour leader, Keir Starmer said a thin deal was better than no deal.

The opposition however is planning to seek amendments in the Bill
that would require the government to provide twice-yearly economic impact
assessments of the trading relationship.

With the authorization of the bill by the British Parliament, the UK-EU trade
agreement will come into effect as a law on Thursday once it receives Royal Assent.