European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020

European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make provision to implement, and make other provision in connection with, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement; to make further provision in connection with the United Kingdom's future relationship with the EU and its member States; to make related provision about passenger name record data, customs and privileges and immunities; and for connected purposes.
Citation	2020 c. 29
Introduced by	Michael Gove, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Commons) Lord True, Minister of State for European Union Relations and Constitutional Policy (Lords)
Territorial extent	England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland
Dates
Royal assent	31 December 2020
Commencement	31 December 2020
Status: Current legislation
History of passage through Parliament
Text of statute as originally enacted

Part of a series of articles on
Brexit
Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union Glossary of terms
Background Euroscepticism in the UK UK opt-outs from EU legislation Campaigns for a referendum People's Pledge Labour for a Referendum Bloomberg speech Project Fear Brexit: The Movie In or Out 2013–14 EU (Referendum) Bill (unsuccessful) 2015–16 EU membership renegotiation 2015 EU Referendum Act (Gibraltar) UK opinion polling on EU membership
2016 referendum Issues Endorsements Opinion polling Results Causes for result International reactions Allegations of unlawful campaigning Alleged Russian interference Immediate aftermath 2016 Conservative Party election 2016 Labour Party election 2016 UKIP election Department for Exiting the EU Department for International Trade Campaigns Leave campaigns Vote Leave (official) Business for Britain Conservatives for Britain Students for Britain BeLeave Leave.EU Bpoplive The Freedom Association Better Off Out Grassroots Out Labour Leave Get Britain Out Bruges Group Campaign for an Independent Britain Remain campaigns Britain Stronger in Europe (official) Labour In for Britain European Movement UK Britain in Europe British Influence Business for New Europe Nucleus
Notice of withdrawal Article 50 process R (Miller) v Secretary of State for Exiting the EU EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Act 2017
Negotiations Negotiation positions EU negotiation mandate Chequers agreement Timeline: 2017 · 2018 · 2019
Withdrawal agreement Brexit divorce bill Irish backstop No-deal Brexit Northern Ireland Protocol Continuing UK relationship with the EU
Parliamentary votes Withdrawal Act 2018 (Gibraltar) Cooper–Letwin Act Benn Act Public Vote Bill (not passed) Terms of Withdrawal Bills (not passed) Scottish EU Continuity Bill (blocked) Withdrawal Agreement Act (Gibraltar) EU (Future Relationship) Bill
Impact Impact on the Irish border Good Friday Agreement Impact on the EU Economic effects Effects on Gibraltar Scientific cooperation 2021 Jersey dispute
EU–UK relations Relations pre- and post-Brexit EU–UK trade negotiation EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Partnership Council Relations with EU member states Austria Belgium Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Akrotiri and Dhekelia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia France Germany Greece Hungary Ireland Ireland–UK border British–Irish Council North/South Ministerial Council Italy Lithuania Malta Netherlands Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Spain Status of Gibraltar Gibraltar–Spain border Sweden Conjectured EEA membership
Opposition Post-referendum opinion polling New initiatives Change Britain More United Open Britain The New European Unite to Remain Led By Donkeys Revoke Article 50 petition Postcards from the 48% Proposed second Scottish independence referendum Calls for a second referendum People's Vote Britain for Europe European Movement UK For our Future's Sake Healthier IN the EU InFacts Open Britain Our Future Our Choice Scientists for EU Other organisations Best for Britain Bollocks to Brexit Change UK Liberal Democrats Right to Vote
Timeline Bloomberg speech Jan 2013 European Parliament election May 2014 2015 general election May 2015 Renegotiation begins Jun 2015 Referendum Act passed Dec 2015 Renegotiation concluded Feb 2016 Referendum held Jun 2016 Theresa May becomes PM Jul 2016 Article 50 judgement Jan 2017 Notification Act passed Mar 2017 Article 50 invoked Mar 2017 2017 general election Jun 2017 Brexit negotiations begin Jun 2017 Withdrawal Act passed Jun 2018 Chequers plan presented Jul 2018 Withdrawal agreement released Nov 2018 Meaningful votes Jan–Mar 2019 Brexit delayed until 12 April Mar 2019 Cooper–Letwin Act passed Apr 2019 Brexit delayed until 31 October Apr 2019 European Parliament election May 2019 Boris Johnson becomes PM Jul 2019 Prorogation and annulment Aug–Sep 2019 Benn Act passed Sep 2019 Withdrawal agreement revised Oct 2019 Brexit delayed until 31 January Oct 2019 2019 general election Dec 2019 Agreement Act passed Jan 2020 UK leaves the EU Jan 2020 Implementation period begins Jan 2020 UK–EU trade deal agreed Dec 2020 Future Relationship Act passed Dec 2020 Implementation period ends Dec 2020 New EU–UK relationship begins Jan 2021 UK–EU trade deal ratified Apr 2021
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The European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020^[1] (c. 29) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that implements the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement agreed between the United Kingdom and the European Union and Euratom in December 2020.^[2] The bill for the Act was introduced to the House of Commons by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove on 30 December 2020, with the aim of enacting the bill on the same day.^[3][4]

The trade agreement was provisionally applied immediately after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020, with the Act serving as the UK Parliament's ratification of the agreement.^{[5][failed verification]} Before the agreement comes fully into force, the English version of the treaty needs to be legally checked and tidied up ("scrubbed"), and needs to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.^[6][7]

The House of Commons was recalled from recess – the House of Lords was already sitting – to enable the legislation to be debated,^[8][9] and it was passed by 521 votes to 73.^[10]

Passage through Parliament[]

House of Commons[]

Business of the House Motion[]

Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg put forward a motion to fast-track the bill through the House of Commons on 30 December 2020. This was criticised by Labour's Valerie Vaz, calling the decision to have limited debate "unacceptable".^[3]

Patrick Grady (SNP) tabled an amendment to extend debate. It was put to a division where it was voted down by the Conservatives and Democratic Unionist Party with one Tory MP, William Wragg, rebelling.^[11] Labour abstained.

Approval[]

Nearly all Conservative MPs and most Labour MPs voted in favour of the bill, while every other party in the Commons voted against. Tonia Antoniazzi and Helen Hayes resigned from their position on Labour's frontbench to abstain, with Bell Ribeiro-Addy being the only Labour MP to vote against the Bill:

House of Lords[]

Business of the House[]

A similar amendment to extend the length of debate was put forward by Lord Adonis, which was voted down thus the Bill is to be completed in one day.

Approval[]

The European Union (Future Relationship) Bill was approved by the House of Lords on 30 December 2020, allowing the bill to be given royal assent in the early hours of 31 December.^[16]

References[]