London: Queen Elizabeth II's Royal Assent to the Brexit Bill passed speedily through both Houses of Parliament on Wednesday means the UK is all set to officially exit the European Union (EU), with New Year's Day on Friday marking what UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has dubbed as a new beginning.
Johnson thanked parliamentarians and peers for passing the European Union (Future Relationship) Bill in one day, in a statement urging the nation to seize the moment when the transition period with the 27-member economic bloc comes to an end at 2300 GMT on Thursday.
The destiny of this great country now resides firmly in our hands. We take on this duty with a sense of purpose and with the interests of the British public at the heart of everything we do, said Johnson.
11 pm on December 31 marks a new beginning in our country's history and a new relationship with the EU as their biggest ally. This moment is finally upon us and now is the time to seize it, he said.
The House of Lords gave the bill an unopposed "third reading" late on Wednesday during a special recall of Parliament from its Christmas break, allowing MPs to debate and then pass the bill 521 votes to 73 an overwhelming majority of 448. It comes four-and-a-half years after the Brexit referendum vote to take the UK out of the EU in June 2016, a period marked by serial resignations and parliamentary defeats faced by Johnson's predecessors Theresa May and David Cameron.