Crack open the English sparkling wine! Downing Street swaps champagne for home-grown British fizz as the Queen rubber-stamps Boris Johnson’s Brexit Bill and it becomes law
- Parliament finally gave its formal backing to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal last night
- EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill has now been given Royal Assent by the Queen
- It is the final step the draft legislation had to take before becoming UK law
- It means that the UK is now guaranteed to leave the EU on January 31 at 11pm
Downing Street received a delivery of English sparkling wine today
Downing Street received a delivery of English sparkling wine today as the Queen rubber-stamped Boris Johnson’s Brexit Bill into law.
Parliament finally gave its formal backing to the European Union Withdrawal Agreement Bill last night.
The draft legislation, which is needed to ensure the UK’s departure from the bloc is an orderly one, was then sent to the Queen to be given Royal Assent.
Royal Assent from the monarch is the last stage a bill must pass in order to make it onto the statute book.
Now that it has been given the so-called WAB is officially an Act of Parliament.
It means the UK is now guaranteed to leave the EU on January 31 at 11pm after more than three years of torturous wrangling over Britain’s divorce from Brussels.
The announcement that Royal Assent had been given was made in the House of Commons by deputy speaker Nigel Evans shortly after 2.30pm.
He interrupted proceedings and said: ‘Royal assent. I have to notify the House in accordance with the Royal Assent Act 1967 that Her Majesty has signified her Royal Assent to the following act: European Union Withdrawal Agreement Act 2020.’
Downing Street took delivery of the wine this morning but it is unclear whether the PM will crack open a bottle to celebrate the historic moment.
Speaking after the WAB finished making its way through the House of Commons and the House of Lords last night, Mr Johnson said: ‘Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forwards as one United Kingdom.
Boris Johnson, pictured in Downing Street yesterday, managed to successfully get his Brexit deal through Parliament with MPs and peers finishing scrutinising the draft laws last night
The delivery of sparkling wine to Number 10 came as Mr Johnson prepared for the Queen to give his EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill Royal Assent so it can become an Act of Parliament
‘At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we’ve done it.
‘Now we can put the rancour and division of the past three years behind us and focus on delivering a bright, exciting future – with better hospitals and schools, safer streets and opportunity spread to every corner of our country.’
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman was asked today if Mr Johnson had celebrated the successful completion of the passage of the WAB through Parliament last night with a glass of champagne.
The spokesman would not be drawn but said: ‘It has been a long three years but we have got Brexit over the line and the PM wants to move the whole country forward as one to a brighter future.’
Once the WAB has been given Royal Assent the PM will then sign the Withdrawal Agreement treaty he struck with Brussels to formalise the UK’s divorce from the EU.
Now that the legislation is about to become law, attention will shift to a vote on the Brexit deal in the European Parliament next Wednesday.
MEPs will be asked to vote for the deal just 48 hours before the UK’s scheduled departure from the bloc but the outcome is viewed as a formality.