British Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Britain, Oct. 21, 2019.(Photo by Stephen Chung/Xinhua)
The move is seen as the government's attempt to fast-track the legislation through the House of Commons and ratify Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal in just three days.
LONDON, Oct. 22 (Xinhua) -- The British government on Monday night published its Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill ahead of the beginning of a key Commons debate on Tuesday.
The bill runs to 110 pages, and is accompanied by 124 pages of explanatory notes.
The move is seen as the government's attempt to fast-track the legislation through the House of Commons and ratify Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal in just three days.
Earlier Monday, Jacob Rees-Mogg, leader of the House of Commons, told lawmakers that a debate on the bill would start on Tuesday, with ministers hoping to get it through all its House of Commons stages by Thursday.
Jacob Rees-Mogg, Leader of the British House of Commons, speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain, on Oct. 21, 2019.(Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Handout via Xinhua)
The leader of the House of Commons organizes government business in the House of Commons.
London and Brussels reached a Brexit deal, known as the Withdrawal Agreement, last week, it needs to be approved by parliament to become legally binding before Britain leaves the European Union.
The bill was published just hours after the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, rejected a government's bid for a meaningful vote on the London-Brussels Brexit agreement in the day.
John Bercow (C), speaker of the British House of Commons, speaks at the House of Commons in London, Britain, on Oct. 21, 2019.(Jessica Taylor/UK Parliament/Handout via Xinhua)
"The motion will not be debated today as it would be repetitive and disorderly to do so," Bercow announced in the parliament chamber.
The ruling dealt another blow to British Prime Minister Johnson who insisted on his plan to take his country out of the European Union on Oct. 31 with or without a deal.
The prime minister lost a vote by 322 to 306 on Saturday on an amended motion, tabled by former Conservative minister Oliver Letwin, which withholds approval of his deal until it has been passed into law. The vote result forced the prime minister to send letters to the European Union asking for extension of the Brexit deadline.■
