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LAST UPDATE | 23 Jan 2020
QUEEN ELIZABETH II has given royal assent to the legislation for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, paving the way for the UK to leave the EU with an agreement at the end of January.
The British Prime Minister hailed the crossing of the “Brexit finish line”, despite the months of further negotiations which will be needed with Brussels to agree a trade deal.
He called for the “rancour and division” to be left behind over the UK’s departure from the European Union on 31 January.
But there was little sign of reconciliation in the House of Commons as the announcement that the legislation had been given royal assent was made by deputy speaker Nigel Evans.
SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford was immediately on his feet, denouncing the “constitutional crisis” caused because the devolved administrations – including the Scottish parliament – had not given consent to the deal.
“Our parliament has been ignored, our government has been ignored,” he said.
Steve Barclay / Twitter
Steve Barclay / Twitter / Twitter
The legislation cleared the British parliament yesterday after peers, who had tried to secure additional rights including for unaccompanied child refugees, bowed to the will of MPs after the elected chamber overturned their demands.
European approval
The Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and EU will now by signed by Johnson, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel.
It still needs to be approved by the European Parliament before ‘Brexit day’, with a vote expected on 29 January.
Johnson said the nation would “move forwards as one United Kingdom”, adding: “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.”
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3 parliaments rejected it. Divided Kingdom.
@Peter McGlynn: the 3 are happy to take money from London so they have to take the bad with the good. They voted to leave as ONE nation . Could u imagine Wales as an independent county !!, eh no !!
@smart cat: I could actually, the same for Scotland.
There was after all a time where people like yourself made the same comment about ireland.
“Could you imagine Ireland as an independent county !!, eh no !!”
History proves people like yourself very wrong.
@Peter McGlynn: it’s gonna happen
@Barry Somers: cant say I ever said that about Ireland but Wales will never be independent and Scotland will vote to stay in the UK as they know what side there bread is buttered on. And the difference between Ireland and the others is we fought for 800 years against England and the the Walsh and the Scots rolled over
@Peter McGlynn: boris johnson isdivise its ajoke hesa joke the uk is a funnyjoke
@smart cat: Scotland voted to remain part of the UK in the last ref based on promises, promises like it would have more say in its own future and it would remain in the EU.
Neither have happened, they’ve been lied to.
@smart cat: They are not happy to take the money, get pay into and are entitles to it. In fact Scotland pays in more than it get back.
@Barry Somers: and look at the state that Ireland is in at the moment…
@Peter McGlynn: And a majority of the voters of all four countries voted for it. Get over it!
@Neil Farrell: leave Ireand out of it. Sort out your own mess.
@Neil Farrell: one of the best countries in the world to live in
@Barry Somers: When did Ireland become independent then. 3/4 of it belongs to the EU and the other 1/4 belongs to England. Am I wrong?
@james dimaggio: yes actually. We don’t belong to the EU, we are members. And only 19% belongs to the UK, not 25% to England. As for when we got our independence, I’ll leave that difficult Google search up to you.
@james dimaggio:
You are wrong. The EU is not a country or sovereign state which means it cannot own or claim territory. It is a political union made up of member states.
@james dimaggio: haha, Scarlet for yer Ma!
@smart cat: not so smart cat.
@Ferg: take the money? What, their own oil money? 90% of North Sea hostorical oil and gas is in Scottish territorial waters.
@Peter McGlynn: no. 3 assembly’s subordinate to the parliament did
@smart cat: possibly being divided by an ocean had some strategic baring on your assumption.
Great to see them actually taking the public vote and leave . Unlike here when we had two referendum Nice and Lisbon. Voted No but had to vote again ! We don’t live in a democracy!
@Stef123: in fairness the concerns from the first vote where addressed in the second vote. So people voted yes in the second . It’s not that hard to understand that old chestnut that gets dragged up every so often on here
@smart cat: What was addressed?
Was it a European Army? Seems to be happening.
Was it tax autonomy.
Seems that’s to be ignored.
Should the be a third vote on irexit?
I’d vote leave. ..
@smart cat: great to see the European super state take place . One state, one army controlled by unelected bureaucrats in Brussels!
@Stef123: You troll poorly
@Barry Somers: You gotta pay the Troll Toll
@Barry Somers: he does alright
@Willy Mc Entire: I think u need to read up on the Two votes. I don’t have the time today to rerun the vote.
@smart cat: What?! Each time they (EU governance Ireland) attached declarations on matters that no-one campaigned on or cared about, as a device to re-run the referendum. And they weren’t binding either.
@smart cat: “the concerns from the first vote where addressed in the second vote”. Are you telling me that every single issue all 862,415 No voters had with Lisbon I was addressed by Lisbon II? What a cop out. It was an affront to democracy to not accept the will of the people on Lisbon I.
Seen a clip of a US trump fanboy basically telling the UK they cannot impose the digital tax, otherwise they would be hot with taxes. He said Trump will be discussing with Boris, already they are calling the shots…..cannot wait until the trade deal kicks off, Boris better have the KY out because he and the rest of the fools that think Trump will give them a good deal need a reality check lol
@Peter Hughes: Can it be worse than EU dictating the terms?
@Pen Name: the EU is a collaboration not a dictatorship. The UK had a say in any regulations. They have now lost the ability to be part of that.
@Pen Name: I suggest you learn how the EU works before making a tool of yourself
@Steph: I was referring to trade with the outside world. It’s the EU that negotiates terms as far as I know, not the individual member state. Brexit means UK will now, or very soon, negotiate bilaterally in its own name with the US.
@Pen Name: Yes as a single country rather than a trading bloc which means less leverage and worse deals. The US will be looking after it’s own interests when it makes a deal with the UK, I’d be very surprised if the UK doesn’t get shafted.
This rancor he speaks about is only starting
Seems only the Tories are happy with it. Scotland and NI rejected it.
If you listen carefully on the 31st you’ll hear a flush that’ll be England going down the toilet previously they were just clinging onto the u bend.
@In my opinion: I’ll listen just like when I listened when the ECB sent the IMF into Ireland and forced the Irish taxpayers to pay a debt that wasn’t the responsibility of the Irish taxpayer! & because Ireland had handed over their economic sovereignty to the Germans and Brussels, joined a fiscal system that was out of the Irish Government’s control, we couldn’t adjust our currency to soften the blows.
The government introduced USC taxes that were made to get the workers to pay for the banks debt. And all the pro EU people in Ireland lived happily ever after!
You couldn’t make this one up!
@Dom Layzell: Yes, and don’t forget groupthink. It was ‘building Europe up’, not Ireland; ‘a community of 500 million’, not a nation of 4-5 million. When political class Ireland says ‘we’ today it’s hard to know what they mean.
@Dom Layzell: 40% higher gnp per capita than the UK. It may have been a bumpy road but you’ve no basis for complaint. Those US companies don’t set up in Ireland for the rain and the craic.
@Dom Layzell: Ireland chose its fiscal path. Germany didnt tell the Irish banks to lend 100x more than their value.
Why was Ireland so indebted after the crash? Its completely illogical to say you can wipe out your national banks debt by devaluing your currency. Irish government and the Irish government alone chose to all the banks to spend not Germany.
What’s Brexit? Never heard of it.
@Ro-your-nan: something like a “ tracker mortgage “
@Ro-your-nan: it’s the prequel to BRENTRY
@Declan Fitzsimons: BREREENTRY?
@Diarmuid Hunt: Boris is an expert in.pulling out and going back in, apparently.
OK, so the UK, for the first time, have agreed a Brexit deal. But that doesn’t necessarily mean the EU will agree to it. In the past May bargained and got an agreement with the EU but the UK parliament didn’t agree. This is just the reverse.
@David Stapleton: The EU has already informally agreed this deal. It is however only the Withdrawal Agreement and the beginning of 11 months of transition. The difficult bit of the main trade agreement negotiations only starts after 31 January.
Decisions made in Haste ..repent at your leisure
Queen becoming a bit of a yes man at this stage!
@Gavin Scott: That’s not a nice thing to say Gavin, Reverse the roll and change the name to Leo V? I think I’ve seen your posts here before, you’re a little bit better than that, having a low shot, come on Gavin?
@Dom Layzell: meant to be humour. Harry blessing and now this. Woosh. Hahaha not sure where Leo comes into this.
“Heal the divisions” my fecking arse. 43.6% voted Tory and due to our broken electoral system we have a dictator in the House of Commons. Grateful to my dear departed.Dublin borne mother for the Irish passport I now hold.
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