UK House of Commons Adopts Brexit Bill, Now House of Lords' Turn

Photo: Reuters.

The bill that stipulates the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union, also known as the Great Repeal Bill (GRB), sets 23:00 GMT March 29, 2019 as the exact date of the country’s exit from the bloc. The document will end the precedence of the EU laws over the UK legislation by repealing the 1972 European Communities Act, which formalizes the United Kingdom’s membership in the European Union.

Brexit Secretary David Davis welcomed the bill’s adoption, adding that the House of Lords would begin debates on the document in late January.

Several amendments have been made to the bill during the debates in the UK lower house. In particular, lawmakers insisted that they should be granted the right to endorse the final agreement on the terms for the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union.

The United Kingdom held the so-called Brexit referendum on June 23, 2016. In late March, UK Prime Minister Theresa May officially invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, launching the country's EU withdrawal process. Brexit negotiations between London and Brussels, which started on June 19, are expected to conclude by the end of March 2019, after which the two sides will likely adjust to new regulations during a two-year transition period.