As parliament returns after the Christmas break, what is happening with the Brexit bill?

Gone are the knife-edge votes that dominated Theresa May’s premiership, writes Lizzy Buchan

A swath of new, supportive MPs have replaced many of the old rebels (AFP)

MPs go back to the Commons today, and one of the first items on the agenda will be Brexit. Boris Johnson’s first act after his decisive election victory was to put his withdrawal deal to MPs, who voted to give the bill its second reading with a comfortable majority.

Gone are the knife-edge votes that dominated Theresa May’s premiership and Johnson’s early days in Downing Street, where opposition MPs thwarted his efforts to secure a general election.

With an 80-strong majority – and a swath of supportive MPs replacing the old rebels – the prime minister is unlikely to face the same hurdles to his Brexit legislation, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB).