Breather For British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, New Brexit Bill Clears First Parliamentary Test

Picture : Twitter / ANI

British  Prime Minister Boris Johnson saw his new Brexit Bill clear first parliamentary test with MPs backing it 329 votes to 299.

It effectively means his Brexit withdrawal agreement with the European Union can become a law, but they are yet to agree to push it through the Commons in three days.

If MPs reject the timetable and the EU offers an extension to the Brexit deadline, Johnson has threatened to pull the bill and seek a general election instead of delaying Brexit beyond the October 31 deadline.

After publishing the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill, or the so-called EU divorce bill, on Monday night, Johnson opened it up for debate by MPs in the House of Commons on Tuesday with plans to hold a vote on a sped-up timetable for its passage by the end of the week.

“I will in no way allow months more of this. If Parliament refuses to allow Brexit to happen and instead… decides to delay everything until January, or possibly longer, in no circumstances then [can] the government continue with this,” Johnson told MPs.

“And with great regret I must say that the Bill will have to be pulled and we will have to go forward to a general election and I will argue at that election, let’s get Brexit done,” he declared.

Johnson had agreed what he termed as a “great new deal” with the EU last week, which gets rid of the controversial Irish backstop seen as a threat by Brexiteers.