Brexit update (1/2)

Weekend press reports were mixed with the Brexit trade deal remaining on a knife edge. As we noted last week (see here for more), the Thursday 10 December deadline seems to have been firmed up. The EU Summit begins on Thursday 10 December and had long been seen as the last practical date for the EU to get together to sign off on a Brexit trade deal and still allow the time for it to pass through national parliaments and the European Parliament before the transition period ends on 31 December. However, the Internal Market Bill will pass from the House back to the Lords today (with the controversial clauses that override international law added back in) and then pass back from the Lords to the House on Thursday 10 December. At this point the bill is likely to reach final publication and hence erupt a further row if negotiations are still ongoing and the controversial aspects cannot be taken out.