On 22 May 2019, Prime Minister Theresa May MP delivered a statement to the House of Commons on her new Brexit deal.

The statement repeats the points made in her Brexit speech on Tuesday (our blog is here) although the following points are made:

• the Withdrawal Agreement Bill will be published on Friday so that MPs have the maximum possible time to study its detail; and
• should Parliament pass the Bill before the summer recess, the UK will leave the EU by the end of July.

However, speaking in the House of Commons on 23 May 2019, Mark Spencer MP, standing in for Andrea Leadsom MP, told the Commons that:

• “We will update the House on the publication and introduction of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on our return from the Whitsun recess”;
• “We had hoped to hold second reading on Friday 7 June”; and
• “At the moment, we have not secured agreement to this in the usual channels. Of course we will update the House when we return from recess”.

Consequently, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill will not be published on Friday 24 May as initially expected.