UK set for January Brexit as MPs back Johnson’s bill

Legislation says long-term trade deal with EU must be completed by the end of 2020

Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn: the British prime minister said his bill “must not be seen as a victory for one party over another or one faction over another”. Picture: Getty

Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill easily cleared its first parliamentary hurdle on Friday, putting the UK on course to leave the European Union on January 31.

The House of Commons voted 358 to 234 in favour of the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill, in the first tangible sign of how Johnson’s election gamble has paid off.

After three years of division, the prime minister appealed for unity.

“Now is the time to act together as one reinvigorated ...