U.K.’s Johnson urges Parliament to rush Brexit deal into law

Boris Johnson urged members of Parliament to approve his Brexit trade agreement and complete Britain’s four-year divorce from the European Union.

Parliament was recalled from its Christmas break for an emergency session on Wednesday to rush the trade agreement into law in a single day, 24 hours before the U.K. leaves the EU single market and customs union.

Failure to endorse the deal would risk the return of costly tariffs on goods trade and severe disruption to supply chains. But with support from the opposition Labour Party, Johnson is virtually certain to get his way.

“The central purpose of this bill is to accomplish something the British people always knew in their hearts was possible,” Johnson said as he opened the debate on the legislation to write the deal into U.K. law. Britain can “trade and cooperate” with other European countries while retaining “sovereign control of our laws and destiny.”

The agreement frees the U.K. from the constraints of EU competition and state aid laws, meaning the government can choose to invest and boost industries wherever it likes, Johnson said. He said the deal gives the U.K. control over its fishing waters, immigration policy and law-making, and provides “certainty” to airlines and hauliers who have been hit by the pandemic.

“We are going to open a new chapter in our national story,” Johnson said. “The responsibility now rests with all of us to make the best use of the powers we’ve regained.”

The prime minister won important political support from a prominent group of the staunch Brexit supporters in his Conservative Party, who said they will back the deal. The Scottish National Party attacked the agreement, saying it will harm Scotland’s fishing industry and bolster the case for independence.

The House of Commons is expected to vote on the plan at about 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday and the House of Lords later in the evening, ensuring the legislation is pushed through in time for the end of the transition period at 11 p.m. on Thursday.