Analysis: Boris Johnson’s Brexit policy explained

Boris Johnson's mantra for the 2019 election has been that a vote for the Conservatives is a vote to "get Brexit done". By this, he means that a Conservative government would pass his withdrawal agreement through parliament, explains Oliver Patel (UCL European Institute). If MPs do vote for the withdrawal agreement and the legislation which implements it, then the UK will leave the EU, most likely by January 31 2020. The European Parliament must also approve the deal, but this should be a formality. The withdrawal agreement is an international treaty which governs the terms of the UK's exit from the EU. It was largely negotiated by Theresa May's government. The most important elements of the withdrawal agreement are: Citizens' rights: the rights of EU citizens currently in the UK and UK citizens currently in the EU are broadly protected, with some important exceptions Financial settlement: the UK will make payments to the EU of up to £39bn to cover liabilities accrued during the UK's EU membership Standstill transition period: all EU-UK cooperation and trade remains unchanged until 31 December 2020 Northern Ireland protocol to avoid a hard border.