Brexit negotiations in 2019 started in August, after having originally concluded in November 2018 with the release of the withdrawal agreement. Negotiations took place between the United Kingdom and the European Union during 2017 and 2018 for the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union following the referendum held on 23 June 2016.
In March 2019, UK prime minister Theresa May and EU leaders negotiated a fortnight's delay for the Parliament of the United Kingdom to ratify the Brexit withdrawal agreement, moving the date from 29 March 2019 to 12 April 2019. On 10 April 2019, a further half-year extension was agreed between the UK and the EU27 at the EU summit, until 31 October 2019.
At the time of the second extension, the EU position was that the negotiation of terms for withdrawal ended in November 2018 and that the extension was to give the UK Parliament more time to consider the agreement. During 2019, the UK Parliament debated whether to accept the Theresa May government's negotiated settlement, to leave the EU without an agreement, or to abandon Brexit.
In July, the newly assembled Boris Johnson ministry declared its intention to re-open negotiations on the withdrawal agreement, with the Irish backstop removed as a pre-condition. UK and EU negotiators met for the first time on 28 August and agreed meetings would "continue twice a week". Fresh proposals were released by the Johnson ministry in October, which the EU dismissed as unworkable. In October 2019, following bilateral talks between Johnson and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, the UK and EU agreed to a revised deal, which replaced the backstop.
The Benn Act, passed by the UK Parliament in September, required the prime minister to seek a further extension if by 19 October, Parliament had not given its consent to either a deal, in a "meaningful vote", or a no-deal Brexit. On 28 October 2019, the departure date was moved back to 2020.Brexit: Johnson agrees to Brexit extension – but urges election BBC News 28 October 2019 Following the 2019 UK general election, which resulted in a landslide victory for Boris Johnson's Conservative Party, the withdrawal agreement was ratified by the UK Parliament on 23 January 2020, and the European Parliament gave its consent to the agreement on 29 January 2020, before Exit Day, on 31 January 2020.
Timeline
January 2019
On 15 January 2019, the House of Commons voted against the deal put forward by May's government by 432 votes against to 202 votes for. Shortly afterwards, the leader of the opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, tabled a motion of no confidence in the government, a vote which was won by the Government by a margin of 325 to 306. Following the confidence vote, Corbyn voiced opposition to entering talks with the Government on Brexit, until May had ruled out the option of a no-deal Brexit. On 17 January, May rejected this offer, stating that ruling out a "no-deal" Brexit would be "impossible". On 28 January 2019, May expressed opposition to the backstop that she and the EU had agreed to and urged Conservative MPs to back a backbench amendment asking for the backstop to be replaced by an unspecified "alternative arrangement". On 29 January, this proposal, which was presented by MP Graham Brady, passed in the House of Commons by a margin of 317 votes to 301 votes.
The House of Commons had also agreed to reject a no-deal Brexit in principle only, and also rejected other proposed amendments which would have given Parliament the power to extend Article 50 and block a no-deal Brexit. Following the vote, Corbyn met with May and it was agreed that if May were able to successfully renegotiate the withdrawal agreement, another vote would be held on 13 February 2019. It was also agreed that May would return to Brussels for more talks.
February 2019
On 2 February 2019, the Prime Minister announced during a meeting in Brussels that the Leader of the Opposition had agreed to back a Brexit agreement which ensures that the Irish border backstop was not permanent. On 7 February 2019, May held another meeting in Brussels and it was agreed that more talks would occur by the end of the month, despite the fact Juncker repeated previous claims that the EU would not reopen negotiations. It was also suggested that another House of Commons vote on the EU withdrawal agreement would be delayed and not occur until the end of March. On 24 February, May confirmed that the vote, which had been slated to take place on 27 February, would be delayed to 12 March and that a new Brexit deal was now "within grasp." On 27 February 2019, the Commons voted overwhelmingly to make mandatory a Government timetable beginning 12 March that would give MPs the right to approve or reject the Government's draft agreement, or to accept or reject a "no deal" Brexit, or to extend (or not) the Article 50 deadline.
March 2019
Following negotiations between May and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker in Strasbourg, France, they announced on 11 March 2019 a new agreement who gave legally binding reassurances of the temporary nature of the proposed backstop. No changes were made to the actual withdrawal agreement, however, but it was supplemented by a parallel agreement. Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar backed the new agreement as well. Following this, UK attorney general Geoffrey Cox updated his legal advice on the withdrawal agreement, stating that the new agreement made "significant reductions in [the] risk" that UK would be trapped in the backstop, but that the UK was still not able to unilaterally leave the backstop.
On 12 March, the House of Commons again rejected the withdrawal agreement and the political declaration, voting against it by 391 to 242. Immediately after the vote, May announced to the House that she would bring forward a motion declining to approve leaving the European Union on 29 March 2019 without a withdrawal agreement and a framework on the future relationship, for debate and vote in the House the next day (13 March).
On 13 March, the House voted against leaving the EU without a deal by 321 votes to 278. The vote also amended the government motion by specifying that a no-deal Brexit would be ruled out at any time. Immediately after the vote, May announced to the House that she would bring forward a motion on extending the Article 50 negotiating period, for debate and vote in the House the next day (14 March).
On 14 March, the government motion was passed by 412 votes to 202. Four amendments were put forward, but all of these failed to pass. This meant that Prime Minister May would request an extension to Article 50 at the European Council on 21–22 March. Initially, there were two options. If the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration were passed before 20 March in a third meaningful vote, May would request a short extension until 30 June to prepare for an orderly withdrawal. If the Withdrawal Agreement and the Political Declaration failed to pass for a third time, May would request a longer extension, probably beyond 30 June. However, EU leaders and officials made clear that the latter option would require the UK to hold European elections in May since the new European Parliament will first convene on 1 July. In addition, the UK government would have to come up with a different negotiating strategy, such that a deal would be reached which the House of Commons could support.
However, May's first option was blocked. On 18 March, the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, announced that Parliamentary procedure prevented the government from bringing substantially the same Withdrawal Agreement to vote again in the same legislative session. Only if it were amended in substance, as occurred between 15 January and 12 March votes, could it be brought forward again.
In a speech in Downing St on 20 March, May told the public she was "on their side", saying "Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice," said Mrs May. "All MPs have been willing to say is what they do not want." She proceeded to request an extension until 30 June at the European Council, hoping that her deal could still be passed before 29 March, after the conclusion of the EU summit. For this, the EU27 would have to provide enough changes "in substance" for Speaker Bercow to allow a third meaningful vote.
On 21 March, the European Council (in EU27 composition) endorsed the Instrument relating to the withdrawal agreement and the joint statement supplementing the political declaration. These were the additional reassurances that May agreed with Juncker on 11 March. The EU27 hoped that this would suffice to convince enough British MP's to vote in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement. If this third meaningful vote succeeded, the EU would grant the UK an extension until 22 May (the day before the European elections on 23–26 May), to prepare for an orderly withdrawal. If it failed, the EU27 would allow May to come up with a new Brexit plan by 12 April. According to President of the European Council Donald Tusk, "all options will remain open", until that date. In a letter to all MP's, May spelled out these options: 1) passing her deal (which she preferred); 2) leaving without a deal on 12 April; 3) revoking Article 50; 4) requesting a longer extension before 12 April. On 27 March, the House of Commons held a series of indicative votes on alternatives to May's deal. However, these did not produce a majority for any of the tabled options.
On 29 March, the original exit date, the House of Commons once again voted against the withdrawal agreement; albeit by a smaller margin than in the previous two votes (286–344). President Tusk immediately called an emergency European Council, to be held on 10 April. This gave the House of Commons the time to come up with a new Brexit plan through indicative votes, starting on 1 April. The government promised to consider the outcome of these votes as the basis for her negotiating stance at the emergency summit. The UK is expected to forward her position to the EU27 in advance, to give the twenty-seven member states enough time to formulate their response ahead of the summit.
If this new plan were to involve a long extension, beyond 30 June, the British would be required to participate in the European elections; and the House of Commons would have to make that decision on or before 12 April. If the House has not decided this by then, there will under no condition be a further extension beyond 30 June.
April 2019 On 1 April 2019, the second round of indicative votes did not produce a majority for any of the tabled proposals. Following a cabinet meeting the next day, Prime Minister May called for a bipartisan agreement on changes to the Political Declaration governing the future relationship; a move welcomed by Leader of the Opposition Jeremy Corbyn. Labour's preferred future relationship would be a permanent customs union, a close security partnership and close regulatory alignment with the single market, especially in the domains of worker's rights, consumer protection and environmental standards; as well as continuous freedom of movement. If Corbyn and May failed to reach a compromise, they would put a number of options to another round of Parliamentary votes. May would then use the outcome of either process as the basis for requesting another short extension to Article 50, preferably until 22 May, to avoid participation in the European elections. This would mark the first time in the whole Brexit process that the Prime Minister would consider either bipartisan agreements or Parliamentary votes as a binding mandate.