The House of Lords has approved Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill (Picture: EPA)

Britain is on course to leave the European Union at the end of this month after Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill cleared its final parliamentary hurdle.

The prime minister’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill is set to be given royal assent and become law after it was passed by the House of Lords.

Mr Johnson’s deal still needs to be ratified by the EU Parliament.

However, barring unexpected circumstances, it will enter the statute book and Britain will leave on January 31.


All five amendments made by Peers were reversed by MPs on Wednesday, with majorities ranging from 86 to 103.

The bill had passed with a large majority in the House of Commons after the Conservative Party’s victory in the December election.

The Lord Speaker Lord Fowler listens inside the House of Lords as the European Withdrawal Agreement Bill is debated in London on January 21, 2020 (Picture: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Baroness Brady listens to the debate on the European Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the House of Lords (Picture: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

It then went to the Lords, where Peers voted in favour of five amendments over two days of debate, leading Mr Johnson’s new government to its first parliamentary defeats.



The amendments included protecting the rights of refugee children to join their families post-Brexit.

Ministers claimed they supported the principle of the Dubs amendment but argued that the Brexit bill was not the right way to do it.

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They were also defeated in the House of Lords on issues including EU workers’ right to have physical proof of their right to remain, the power of UK courts to diverge from EU law and the independence of the judiciary after the UK leaves the EU.

However, they were all overturned by the Commons to end the legislative tussle and send the bill to Queen Elizabeth for royal assent.

Brexit minister Lord Callanan claimed the culmination of the parliamentary process represented ‘the end of what seems like a very long road’.

He said: ‘The final stages of this bill represent something which many of us thought might never happen – parliament passing the legislation necessary to implement a Brexit deal and to finally deliver on the 2016 referendum.’

The prime minister’s deal still needs to be ratified by the EU Parliament (Picture: PA)

Members listen to the debate on the European Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the House of Lords (Picture: POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

He added: ‘I know many on the benches opposite are disappointed that the Commons has chosen to disagree with all of the amendments that peers passed this week.

‘I would, however, like to reassure peers that their expertise, their contributions will continue to play a valuable role after Brexit.

‘Following our exit, this House will see more legislation on a range of topics connected to the departure from the European Union. In some cases, it will be the first time in decades that the UK has legislated on some of these matters.’

During the debate on Wednesday, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said the government could not accept the Lords amendment on citizens’ rights as it would make the EU Settlement Scheme ‘null and void’.

He said: ‘This amendment would mean the successful EU Settlement Scheme in its current form would need to be abandoned. This is because there would be no need to register if people could later rely on a declaration that they were already in the UK.

‘This would make null and void the 2.8 million applications and the 2.5 million grants of status which have already been completed.’

Mr Barclay added that the amendment would also mean the government was not able to issue ‘more secure’ digital documentation without physical documentation, adding: ‘This would increase the risk of fraud and raises the issue of cost to the Government and citizens.’



Mr Barclay defended the government’s record on child refugees before claiming: ‘Primary legislation cannot deliver the best outcomes for these children as it cannot guarantee that we reach an agreement and that is why this is ultimately a matter which must be negotiated with the EU and the government is committed to seeking the best possible outcome in those negotiations.’

Once the UK leaves the EU, it will enter a transition period where it will follow the bloc’s rules and regulations while the terms of the future relationship are worked out.

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