European_Union_(Future_Relationship)_Bill
European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020
United Kingdom legislation
The European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020[1] (c. 29) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that implements the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement agreed between the United Kingdom and the European Union and Euratom in December 2020.[2] The bill for the Act was introduced to the House of Commons by Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Michael Gove on 30 December 2020, with the aim of enacting the bill on the same day.[3][4]
The trade agreement was provisionally applied immediately after the Brexit transition period ended on 31 December 2020, with the act serving as the UK Parliament's ratification of the agreement.[5][failed verification] Before the agreement comes fully into force, the English version of the treaty needed to be legally checked and tidied up ("scrubbed"), and needed to be adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union.[6][7]
The House of Commons was recalled from recess – the House of Lords was already sitting – to enable the legislation to be debated,[8][9] and it was passed by 521 votes to 73.[10]