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UK parliament passes bill on Brexit — TV

The Withdrawal Agreement Bill still requires royal assent to become a law

LONDON, January 23. /TASS/. The bill on Brexit, prepared by Boris Johnson’s government to pave the way for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, was approved by both chambers of the UK parliament on Wednesday.

According to Sky News, the House of Lords had to pass the bill after the House of Commons rejected all of its proposed amendments earlier on Wednesday.

The Withdrawal Agreement Bill still requires royal assent to become a law, but is expected to receive it later this week, on Thursday or Friday.

In order for Brexit to take place, the bill is yet to be ratified by the European Parliament, although no hurdles are expected during the procedure.

In a statement released by his office, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that the country was ready to leave the European Union as scheduled, on January 31.

"Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forwards as one United Kingdom," he said. "At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we’ve done it."

He also called upon his opponents and supporters to leave behind "years of rancour and division" and focus on solving the country’s acute problems, such as fighting crime and improving healthcare.

The UK was supposed to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, two years after a written withdrawal notice was submitted to the EU. However, the UK has been unable to do this due to sharp domestic political contradictions.

The Conservatives’ majority secured during the parliamentary elections last December gave Johnson free reign to have his Brexit bill voted through after the British parliament, which has been unable to ratify it since December 2018. Therefore, the UK will be able to carry out Brexit by January 31, 2020, which is the third deadline set for London by Brussels.