What has happened with Brexit and how did we get here?

After days of intense negotiations, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced an agreement has been reached over his Brexit deal but the battle is far from over.

– What happened with Brexit on Thursday?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he had struck a “great new deal” before heading to the key summit of EU leaders in Brussels.

However, key Tory ally the Democratic Unionist Party said it will be unable to support the deal.

– What is Boris Johnson’s new deal?

Northern Ireland will remain aligned with single market regulations on goods.

The UK will leave the EU customs union as will Northern Ireland.

The region will remain an entry point into the EU’s customs zone.

UK authorities will apply UK tariffs to products entering Northern Ireland as long as they are not destined for onward transportation across the border.

EU rules on value added tax and excise duties will apply in Northern Ireland, with the UK responsible for their collection. However, revenues derived will be retained by the UK.

Brexit
Brexit

– How did we get here?

The Prime Minister put forward his formal Brexit plan to the EU on October 10 which sparked 10 days of intense negotiations.

This came to a head on October 17 when Mr Johnson announced the UK reached a “great deal”.

– What happens now?

The deal needs to get signed off by the EU27.

The member state leaders are meeting in Brussels on Thursday to consider the deal.

If they give it the green light, the deal needs to be passed by Parliament with the Commons expected to sit on Saturday to go over the agreement.

If Parliament does not support it, Mr Johnson is compelled under the Benn Act to request a further Brexit delay to the end of January.

Brexit
Brexit

– What numbers are needed in the Commons for the deal to pass?

The Government needs at least 318 votes for a majority.

If every Conservative MP who is able to vote backs the deal, it gives the Government 285 votes.

– Who said what about the PM’s new deal?

The PM described it as a “fair” and “reasonable” agreement.

“I hope very much now, speaking of elected representatives, that my fellow MPs in Westminster do now come together to get Brexit done, to get this excellent deal over the line and deliver Brexit without any more delay,” Mr Johnson said at a Brussels press conference.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was quick to dismiss the agreement.

“As it stands we cannot support this deal,” the Labour leader told reporters in Brussels, adding that it did not seem to have the backing of “many of his allies on his own backbenches”.

Brexit
Brexit

EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier told a press conference that discussions “have at times been difficult” but that they had “delivered together”.

European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker told reporters it represents a “fair and balanced agreement” for both the EU and the UK and compelled European leaders to back the deal.

Statement by President @JunckerEU and British Prime Minister @BorisJohnson on #Brexit#BrexitDealhttps://t.co/IkEdm0H0so

— European Commission 🇪🇺 (@EU_Commission) October 17, 2019

European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters that a “deal is always better than no deal” but said he wasn’t happy because of the “substance of this political fight”.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon ruled out her MPs in the SNP backing the deal, insisting it will mean Scotland alone is “treated unfairly” when the UK leaves the European Union.

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