British lawmakers support a post-Brexit trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union on the eve of the deadline

„ This bill embodies our vision – which we share with our European neighbors – for a new relationship between Britain and the European Union on an equal footing in sovereignty, joined by friendship, trade, history, interests and values, while respecting the freedom to work for others and realizing that we have nothing to fear if we sometimes choose to do things. In a different way , ” Johnson said.

The deal has already won interim approval from the European Union, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel officially signing the deal on Wednesday.

The European Parliament is expected to consider the deal at a later time before it is formally ratified by the European Union.

The deal agreed with Brussels outlines a new trade and security relationship with the UK’s largest trading partner after months of deadlock over areas such as fishing quotas, how the UK will use state aid to support British companies after Brexit, and legal oversight over any of them. The deal is sealed.

The agreement, which keeps Britain free of tariffs and quotas to consumers of the bloc, protects the UK from some of the most potentially dire consequences of Brexit as it grapples with a crippling pandemic.

The deal appears to cover mostly merchandise trade, as the UK has a deficit with its European Union neighbors, but it excludes key service industries such as finance, as it currently enjoys a surplus.

Opposition leader Keir Starmer, who campaigned against Brexit, said the bill was „weak” and failed to protect trade in the services sector, but Labor would support it in light of the devastating alternative: leaving the transition period without a deal.

The bill – which is 80 pages long, in contrast to the more than 1,200 pages of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) – has been criticized for being rushed.

Parliament is considering implementation of the Technical Assistance Act (TCA) less than 48 hours before it comes into effect – so late that „no deal” becomes the only possible alternative, and for very limited use of those directly affected by it writes Brigid Fowler, Senior Researcher In the Hansard Society.

The vote comes against a backdrop of soaring Covid-19 cases in the UK as a more contagious type of virus is spreading across the country.