The latest session of Parliament was opened yesterday with a speech by the Queen, and as expected one of the first pieces of legislation considered is expediting Brexit. Lawmakers are voting on the matter today, with the decision expected to pass easily due to the combination of the new Conservative Party majority and the allegiance purge of the party conducted by Boris Johnson.
The Parliament will then commence its Christmas break, with the final action on Brexit taking place at the end of January. This will complete the legislative action which began with a June, 2016 referendum.
The current Withdrawal Agreement Bill has changed somewhat from the one which Johnson attempted to pass prior to the recent election. Numerous concessions to Labour requests have been stripped, as the wrangling to get Labour votes is no longer needed. The new bill focuses almost exclusively on the mechanics of Brexit itself.
One of the direct results of the Brexit effort has been a renewed interest in Scottish independence, which if passed would likely see Scotland rejoin the EU. While the Conservatives gained the most seats across the entirety of the UK, the Scottish Nationalist Party saw gains throughout that country, putting their leadership solidly in control of Scotland with 48 of the 59 seats available. In response, the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, has demanded that Scotland be granted the authority to hold a second independence referendum.
Boris Johnson appears cool to the idea, pointing out that anti-independence parties won 55% of the votes in the recent elections. His argument does not address the actual mood of the country, as the decisive victory by the Conservatives in the UK may have shifted the position of many Scots, who by polling overwhelmingly prefer to stay in the EU.
