New parliament to 'get Brexit done': UK's Johnson

LONDON

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said onTuesday the House of Commons is going to “pass the withdrawal bill” and “get Brexit done”.

Speaking at the House of Commons during its first gathering following last week’s election, Johnson said the newly elected parliament “is a vast improvement on its predecessor” and “one of the best this country has produced.”

Johnson described the parliament as “more democratic.”

He said the House has “more female MPs than ever before” and “more BAME [Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic] MPs than ever before.”

The government will try to do everything it can to reach out across the House to find common ground and to heal the divisions facing this country, he added.

The House of Commons will see new members sworn in over the next two days and it will hold a vote on the legislation of the EU Withdrawal Bill on Friday, before the Christmas recess.

As the Conservative Party won an impressive majority following its landslide election victory last week, government bills and motions will pass through the House easily.

The Conservative Party won 365 seats last week, while opposition’s Labour Party managed to win 203 seats in their worst election since 1930s.

A motion on Sir Lindsay Hoyle’s becoming the new parliament speaker was passed without division. The election for speakership was held previously and Hoyle was elected to replace previous speaker John Bercow.

The new government’s plan to not extend the transition period beyond the end of 2020 has surfaced during the first Cabinet meeting held earlier.

Michael Gove, chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, confirmed Tuesday that the transition period, which is to expire in 2020, will not be extended and a law will ensure that.

“Our manifesto made clear that we will not extend the implementation period and the new withdrawal agreement bill will legally prohibit government agreeing to any extension,” local media also quoted a Downing Street source as saying.

The move by Johnson to make his manifesto promise legally binding was debated during the Conservative’s successful election campaign. The opposition have said outlawing an extension would raise the chance of a crash out of the EU on Dec. 31, 2020.

Under current plans, the U.K. will leave the EU on Jan. 31, 2020, simultaneously kicking off a transition period of 11 months. Under the original revised deal by Johnson with the bloc, the transition period has an extension option beyond the end of 2020, should the trade talks go beyond next year.