By AFPMore by this AuthorBrussels,Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured initial parliamentary backing for his Brexit withdrawal bill Friday, putting Britain on course to leave on January 31. MPs voted 358 to 234 for EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, but the saga will not end even with final confirmation from lawmakers. Will there be an ambitious free trade agreement -- or will the two sides settle for a bare-bones deal to simply keep the cross-Channel goods trade flowing? TRADE DEALExperts widely agree that it will take far longer to achieve a comprehensive trade deal worthy of a country destined to be one of the EU's closest partners. At this month's EU summit, national leaders tasked Barnier to draw up a trade deal mandate as soon as possible.

Source: Daily Nation December 20, 2019 16:52 UTC