As MPs prepare to vote on Boris Johnson’s EU withdrawal agreement, Guardian analysis shows that less than 5% of the original deal has been renegotiated, despite it being rejected by parliament three times.

Only 15 core pages of the original 293-page withdrawal agreement are related to the controversial protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland – commonly referred to as the Irish backstop. This is the only part of the withdrawal agreement that has been renegotiated, though there have also been changes to the accompanying non-binding political declaration.

Also, 11 pages of annexes relating to the original Irish backstop have been removed.

Everything that has been removed from May's protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland Everything that is new in Johnson's protocol

All the other sections remain the same as in the original withdrawal agreement that was rejected by parliament three times under Theresa May’s premiership. This includes 20 pages on the UK’s future contributions to the EU budget and 19 pages on rights and obligations.

The new withdrawal agreement includes a fresh solution to the Irish border question, replacing the backstop with a commitment that Northern Ireland will retain substantial regulatory alignment with the EU after Brexit.

Even so, much of the 15 pages on the new Ireland/Northern Ireland protocol is lifted directly from the agreement brokered by May and her team.

The most significant changes were new sections on the customs territory of the UK and the movement of goods. A notable removal was a section committing the EU and UK to “endeavour” to conclude a new agreement by 31 December 2020.

This, then, is the revised deal that parliament will be asked to approve on Saturday. For Johnson to pass his deal, he needs to win over some of the 70-plus MPs who we think are undecided.



