The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (c. 1) is an act of the

Parliament of the United Kingdom The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace ...

that makes legal provision for ratifying the

Brexit withdrawal agreement The Brexit withdrawal agreement, officially titled Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, is a treaty between the European Uni ...

and incorporating it into the domestic law of the United Kingdom. It is the most significant constitutional piece of legislation to be passed by

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of the

Second Johnson ministry The second Johnson ministry began on 16 December 2019, three days after Boris Johnson's audience with Queen Elizabeth II where she invited him to form a new government following the 2019 United Kingdom general election, 2019 general election. ...

. The Withdrawal Agreement was the result of

Brexit negotiations Between 2017 and 2019, representatives of the United Kingdom and the European Union negotiated the terms of Brexit, the UK's planned withdrawal from membership of the EU. These negotiations arose following the decision of the Parliament of th ...

. On 24 July 2018 the Government produced a

white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...

on the proposed bill and how the legislation would work. The bill was first introduced by the government in the second session of the 57th Parliament on 21 October 2019 with the long title "A Bill to Implement, and make other provision in connection with, the agreement between the United Kingdom and the EU under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union which sets out the arrangements for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU". This bill was not further debated after the second reading in the Commons on 22 October 2019 and lapsed on 6 November when parliament was dissolved in preparation for the 2019 general election. The bill was reintroduced immediately following the general election and was the first bill to be put before the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in the first session of the 58th Parliament, with changes from the previous bill, by the re-elected government and, in an unusual procedure, received its first reading before the debate on the

Queen's Speech A speech from the throne, or throne speech, is an event in certain monarchies in which the reigning sovereign, or their representative, reads a prepared speech to members of the nation's legislature when a session is opened. The address sets fo ...

began. The second reading took place on 20 December, and the third on 9 January 2020. This act was given

royal assent Royal assent is the method by which a monarch formally approves an act of the legislature, either directly or through an official acting on the monarch's behalf. In some jurisdictions, royal assent is equivalent to promulgation, while in othe ...

on 23 January 2020, nine days before the UK left the

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Provisions

The Act provides for the following: * Provides (introducing a ''saving'') that most provisions (certain provisions which were not repealed with immediate effect) of the 1972 European Communities Act will remain in full legal force and effect, ''as if they were not yet and never repealed'', during an ''implementation period'' to last until (by default) 31 December 2020, notwithstanding the repeal of the whole act by the automatic operation of Section 1 (came into force on 17 August 2019) of the

European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (c. 16) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to repeal the European Communities Act 1972, and for parliamentary approval to be required for any withdrawal agreement negotiated between th ...

on 31 January 2020 at 11:00pm. * Enshrines the Withdrawal Agreement between the UK and the EU in domestic law including any financial settlement and agreement on citizens' rights. * Makes provisions for changes to EU law to be legally binding in the UK during the implementation period (after the UK has left the EU). * Makes provisions for Parliamentary scrutiny and oversight of the process by

primary legislation Primary legislation and secondary legislation (the latter also called delegated legislation or subordinate legislation) are two forms of law, created respectively by the legislative and executive branches of governments in representative democ ...

, instead of secondary legislation under the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill. * Section 38(1) expressly recognises that the

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, though the effect of this section is debated.

Legislative history

On 13 November 2017, the Brexit Secretary, David Davis, announced plans for a new bill to enshrine the Withdrawal Agreement, if any, in domestic law by primary legislation. Upon further questioning in the House of Commons, Davis clarified that if MPs chose not to pass the bill, the UK would remain on course to leave the EU on 29 March 2019 without a deal as a consequence of invoking Article 50 in March 2017, after the passing of the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017. Described by ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' as the government "caving in" to Tory rebels, the bill as originally conceived would have allowed MPs to scrutinise any agreement "line-by-line", as well as make amendments. Conservative MP Steve Baker, writing for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'', claimed the new bill "gives whatever deal we strike with the EU proper standing in British law" and that it was consistent with the

referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...

result in providing "more control over how we are governed to the

UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...

." The bill was introduced to Parliament for the first time on 21 October 2019, but lapsed on 6 November with the dissolution of Parliament in preparation for the December 2019 general election. Following the attainment of a Conservative majority at the election, the bill was revised and reintroduced on 19 December, passing its second reading the following day. The December revision of the bill removed the provisions made in previous versions for parliamentary scrutiny of Brexit negotiations. The Withdrawal Agreement Bill passed its third and final reading in the

on 9 January 2020, with 330 in favour to 231 against. On 21 January 2020, the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

passed the bill after approving five amendments to it. However, these amendments were overturned by the House of Commons on the following day. On 22 January 2020, the bill was passed by the House of Lords without further modifications. It received

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

the following day.

References

External links

The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020
''legislation.gov.uk''

*[https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728757/6.4737_Cm9674_Legislating_for_the_withdrawl_agreement_FINAL_230718_v3a_WEB_PM.pdf Legislating for the Withdrawal Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union] 24 July 2018
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018
Bills and legislation, parliament.uk
Explanatory Notes, 13 July 2017, published with the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill

House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution – European Union (Withdrawal) Bill: interim report
(published 7 September 2017)
House of Lords Select Committee on the Constitution – European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill: interim report
(published 5 November 2019)
''Legislating for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union'' (The Great Repeal Bill White Paper), 30 March 2017 (Accessible web version)(Print version)

Briefing paper
House of Commons Library, 1 September 2017
UK Government – "Plan for Britain" website

The Withdrawal Agreement Act - a commentary
''thomashobbes.co.uk'' {{Boris Johnson United Kingdom Acts of Parliament 2020 Acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom relating to the European Union Consequences of the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum Brexit-related statutes Constitutional laws of the United Kingdom

Provisions

Legislative history

See also

References

External links