The reception of the agreement in the House of Commons ranged from cold to hostile, and the vote was delayed by more than a month. Prime Minister May has received a motion of no confidence within her own party, but the EU has refused to accept further changes. On 20 December 2019, after the Conservatives won the 2019 British general election, the House of Commons passed second reading of the withdrawal agreement with a 358-234 lead. Following the amendments proposed by the House of Lords and the ping-pong between the two houses, the bill was granted royal approval on 23 January 2020, allowing ratification on the British side. [39] Emma Lewell-Buck, MP for the South Shields, who was one of six Labour MPs to vote in favour of the bill, said it was time to end „opposition to the opposition.“ If the UK does not ask for an extension beyond 2020, trade relations will be governed by any agreement or World Trade Organisation rules from the beginning of 2021. On 15 January 2019, the House of Commons voted with 230 votes against the Brexit withdrawal agreement[10] the largest vote against the British government in history. [31] The government may survived a vote of confidence the next day. [10] On March 12, 2019, the House of Commons voted 149 votes against the agreement, the fourth-biggest defeat of the government in the history of the House of Commons. [32] A third vote on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, widely expected on 19 March 2019, was rejected by the House of Commons spokesman on 18 March 2019, on the basis of a parliamentary convention of 2 April 1604, which prevented British governments from forcing the House of Commons to vote several times on a subject already voted on by the House of Commons. [34] [35] [36] An abbreviated version of the withdrawal agreement, in which the annex political statement had been withdrawn, consisted of the test of „substantial amendments,“ so that a third vote was held on 29 March 2019, but was rejected by 58 votes. [37] Lawmakers voted last year against repeated efforts by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his predecessor Theresa May to secure support for their Brexit agreements. However, Johnson`s comfortable 80-seat majority in December`s general election meant there was never any doubt that the law would be passed this time.
„This bill will ensure our exit from the European Union through an agreement that will ensure the safety of businesses, protect the rights of our citizens and ensure that we regain control of our money, our borders, our laws and our trade policy,“ Barclay said.