When will MPs vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade Bill?

PM is set to open debate in Commons on Wednesday morning

On Wednesday, MPs and peers will be recalled to Parliament to debate and vote (in most cases, virtually) on Boris Johnson’s EU Future Relationship Bill.

Interrupting the Christmas recess for the first time in decades, the government intends for all stages of the legislation to be rushed through the Commons in just several hours ahead of the expiry of the Brexit transition period on New Year's Eve.

The 85-page Bill – published on Tuesday – is required to implement the UK-EU deal, which was agreed on Christmas Eve, and for it to have domestic legal effect. The agreement itself spans over 1,200 pages.

Around 9.30am, the prime minister is set to open the debate in an address to the Commons, once the leader of the Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg sets out the day’s business timetable, including a motion to allow MPs to participate virtually over Zoom.

The Commons speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, has stressed that MPs should not be in the chamber unless absolutely necessary due to surging Covid cases in London, but it is expected both the opposition frontbench and government ministers fronting the debate, will be physically present.

All stages of the Bill in the Commons are expected to wrap up around 2.30pm, with the Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove presenting the government’s concluding statements. MPs will then be asked to vote on the legislation at third reading.

It will be the decision of Sir Lindsay if any amendments are selected to be voted on, but given Sir Keir Starmer has already revealed Labour will back the deal and the prime minister has won the support of the European Research Group of Brexiteer MPs, it is expected to clear the chamber with a comfortable majority.

The size of any revolt remains to be seen, but the Labour leader, who has ordered MPs to vote for the UK-EU agreement, could conceivably see the greatest rebellion.

After third reading in the Commons, the Bill will then be passed to the House of Lords, where peers will begin examining the legislation from around 3pm, which could continue until late on Wednesday evening.

Immediately after the vote, The Independent understands Matt Hancock, the health secretary, will update MPs on the latest Covid-19 situation and provide the conclusions of a review of the tiered measures – potentially curbing freedoms for millions more.

If the Lords throws up any issues over the Brexit legislation, including amendments, it is expected the Commons will then have to consider the Bill once again on Wednesday evening. It could be an extremely long day in Westminster.

Only after it has passed all the parliamentary stages will the Bill receive the formal Royal Assent, which could come either late on Wednesday or early on Thursday morning – just hours before the transition period expires at 11pm the same day.

Before the agreement is voted on by both chambers, the UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal will be signed in Brussels by EU chiefs before being flown by an RAF plane to London for the prime minister to sign, No 10 said.

It is expected the European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel, the European Council president, will sign the international treaty before it is flown across the channel.