Boris Johnson's Brexit Bill set to be signed off by MPs

9 January 2020, 11:20

Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill is set to finally be approved by MPs later today.

The bill is expected to sail through the Commons this afternoon with votes anticipated to take place later today as it reaches the third reading stage.

After that, it will just have to clear the House of Lords before the UK can leave the EU on January 31.

Boris Johnson has a significant parliamentary majority following the general election and the legislation is expected to easily clear the Commons following months of knife-edge votes.

The bill is expected to pass unamended.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen held face-to-face talks with Boris Johnson yesterday in London.

Mr Johnson had insisted the Brexit transition period would not be extended beyond 2020.

After the talks, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The PM reiterated that we wanted a broad free trade agreement covering goods and services, and co-operation in other areas.

“The PM was clear that the UK would not extend the Implementation Period beyond 31 December 2020; and that any future partnership must not involve any kind of alignment or ECJ (European Court of Justice) jurisdiction.”

She expressed fears in a speech earlier at the London School of Economics that a full deal would not be achievable in the timeframe.

“Without an extension of the transition period beyond 2020 you cannot expect to agree on every single aspect of our new partnership. We will have to prioritise,” she said.