UK parliament gives final approval for Brexit bill

In UK, the House of Lords has passed the Brexit bill, paving the way for the government to trigger Article 50 so the UK can leave the EU. Peers backed down over the issues of EU residency rights and a meaningful vote on the final Brexit deal after their objections were overturned by MPs. The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent and become law today.

The Prime Minister could theoretically invoke Article 50, which formally starts the Brexit process, as early as



Tuesday. The EU Withdrawal Bill was passed unamended after peers voted by 274 votes to 118 not to challenge the Commons again over the issue of whether Parliament should have a veto on the terms of exit.

Earlier, the government had comfortably won votes on the issues in the Commons, with only a handful of Tory MPs rebelling. Brexit campaigners welcomed the clear mandate given to the UK government ahead of the start of official negotiations.