Boris Johnson Signs Brexit Agreement

By Staff, Agencies

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed the withdrawal agreement to take the UK out of the European Union on 31 January.

The signing took place in 10 Downing Street on Friday afternoon, as the document was brought to London from Brussels, where the presidents of the European Council and European Commission had put their names to the treaty early in the morning.

Johnson described the signing as “a fantastic moment” which would bring an end to more than three years of “argument and division” since the referendum vote to leave the EU in 2016.

But it leaves huge decisions still to be taken on the nature of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, with the prospect of a no-deal Brexit remaining very much on the table if the two sides cannot agree a trade deal by the extremely tight deadline of 31 December.

The formal signing of the agreement came 1,310 days after the narrow 52-48 victory for Leave in the referendum of 23 June 2016, and followed a tortuous and divisive period of negotiation and ratification which saw the resignations of prime ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, massive demonstrations in favor of a Final Say vote and a series of historic Commons defeats for the government.

All that now remains to be done before the UK can leave at 11pm next Friday is ratification by the European parliament, expected to take place on 29 January in Brussels.