London (CNN) The House of Commons has voted overwhelmingly in favor of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, finally paving the way for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union later this month after more than four decades of membership.

The deal has cleared its biggest hurdle with the vote that followed a third reading in Parliament, in which 330 voted for and 231 against, putting an end to three years of political wrangling following the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Thursday was the last opportunity for MPs to reject the bill before it is sent to the House of Lords, after which it will be put into legislation in coming weeks.

The deal had been shot down by a fractured House of Commons several times over the past year, sending Westminster into a tailspin over whether Brexit would happen at all.

But Thursday's vote in parliament stood in stark contrast to the upheaval that dominated British politics last year, which included the resignation of former Prime Minister Theresa May.

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