Johnson's First Defeat After General Election... Amendment to EU Withdrawal Bill in the Senate

[Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] Ahead of the Brexit deadline on the 31st, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) was amended in the House of Lords. This marks the first defeat for Johnson, who won a landslide victory in last month's general election.

According to the Guardian and others on the 20th (local time), the UK House of Lords passed an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill proposed by Liberal Democrat members with 270 votes in favor and 229 against.

The amendment grants automatic residency rights to EU nationals living in the UK after Brexit without requiring a separate application process. Currently, EU nationals residing in the UK must complete registration by the end of June this year at the latest if they wish to remain in the UK after the Brexit transition period ends at the end of this year.

The amendment also includes provisions to provide physical proof showing that EU nationals have been granted the right to reside in the UK. The Guardian reported that a survey released that day showed 90% of EU nationals want to receive physical proof of UK residency rights to avoid discrimination. Previously, the UK government stated that it would verify the residency status of EU nationals digitally linked to passports without separate physical documents.

With the passage of the amendment, Prime Minister Johnson's Conservative government recorded its first parliamentary defeat since the general election on December 12. After securing a landslide victory with a majority well above the House of Commons threshold, Johnson swiftly passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. The bill then moved to the House of Lords, where the Conservative Party does not hold a majority, unlike in the Commons.

If the bill is amended in the House of Lords, it must be approved again by the House of Commons, and the content could be reversed during this process. However, the Associated Press reported that since the bill has already passed the Commons, the amendment alone does not block the bill's passage, and the Lords' decision could be overturned. It added that the bill will not automatically become law and that the Commons must decide whether to approve it.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.