What happens when MPs return to Westminster after the Christmas recess?

Expect a row over the UK’s ‘transition period’ to dominate in the coming months, writes Ashley Cowburn

Johnson’s Withdrawal Agreement Bill is expected to sail through the Commons (AFP)

After a period of reflection and copious amounts of mince pies, MPs will soon be heading back to the House of Commons for the first term of a Boris Johnson majority government. Given the general election was held in December – for the first time in almost a century – there was little time before Christmas for No 10 and the Labour Party to press ahead with their most urgent business.

When parliament resumes on 7 January, all government attention will turn to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which passed its first hurdle in the House of Commons by a landslide ahead of the festive break.

But given Mr Johnson now holds the biggest Tory majority since Margaret Thatcher’s time in office, expect this crucial piece of Brexit legislation to be passed by MPs without any hiccups. Downing Street believes that once it secures passage through the House of Lords, ascent could be given to the bill around mid-January. It’s quite a contrast from the same point in January 2019 when Theresa May suffered the largest defeat of a sitting government in British political history as she lost a “meaningful vote” on her Brexit agreement by 432 to 202.