Political Unblocking: British House of Commons Supports Brexit Proposal for 31 January

(Patria) – The British House of Commons has voted in favour of the proposal to leave the EU on 31 January, thereby also ending a three-year political deadlock.

British lawmakers voted 330-321 in favour of the EU Withdrawal Agreement proposal, which will become law after it is approved by the House of Lords.

This is another victory for Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who promised to take the UK out of the EU within the set deadline.

Recall, the outcome of the 2016 Brexit referendum meant a narrow victory for half of British society, which at the time voted to leave the bloc. However, over the following three years, lawmakers consistently rejected every proposed agreement on the terms of Brexit put forward by former Prime Minister Theresa May and current Prime Minister Johnson.

However, with the exit from the EU, which is now legally certain after the House of Commons vote, the Brexit process does not end, as long and exhaustive negotiations remain between the UK and the EU on the future relationship regarding trade, security, and other areas – the so-called transition period, which will last until the end of 2020 and could prove more complex than the exit itself.

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, agrees, stating on Thursday that the UK's goal of reaching a full trade agreement with the EU by the end of 2020 is, at the very least, 'unrealistic'.

- We cannot expect to agree on every aspect of our new partnership, Barnier argues, but adds that the EU is 'ready to give its best in the next 11 months' to achieve this.

The transition period, which Prime Minister Johnson claims requires no more than a year, involves a detailed agreement between the UK and the EU on every aspect of the relationship, e.g., trade in goods and services, aviation, medicines, security, etc.

While the British side believes the remaining 11 months are sufficient for an agreement, the EU argues that this is too little time – especially because the two sides have more opposing than common views.