U.K. Speeds Toward Brexit as Johnson Wins Key Vote on His Deal

  • U.K. almost certain to leave European Union on Jan. 31
  • Scale of victory shows Johnson’s election gamble paid off

Boris Johnson

Photographer: Simon Dawson/Bloomberg
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal easily cleared its first Parliamentary hurdle on Friday, setting the U.K. on a fast-track course to leave the European Union in six weeks.

The House of Commons voted 358 to 234 in favor of the government’s EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill on Friday -- the first demonstration of Johnson’s power over Parliament since he won an emphatic victory in the Dec. 12 general election.