EU prepared to sign-off on withdrawal agreement as Brexit Day approaches
The UK leaves the EU next Friday, January 31st
The presidents of the European Commission and European Council are due to sign the Withdrawal Agreement as Britain's divorce from Brussels is finalised in the coming days.
The Queen gave royal assent to the legislation for Boris Johnson's Brexit deal, paving the way for the UK to leave the European Union with an agreement at the end of January - almost four years after 2016's Leave vote.
Following MPs and peers voting to approve the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement and Queen Elizabeth's rubber stamping, commission president Ursula von der Leyen and council president Charles Michel are on Friday expected to sign-off on the document that will allow Britain to leave the EU next week.
The agreement still needs to be approved by the European Parliament before Brexit day, with a vote expected on January 29.
The Prime Minister hailed the crossing of the "Brexit finish line" after the EU Withdrawal Agreement Act passed into law, despite months of looming fresh negotiations with Brussels to agree a trade deal.
The UK is set to enter a transition period in February, during which the relationship with Brussels will remain the same while trade talks are finalised before the tight December 31 deadline.
Published: by Radio NewsHub