Brexit department to close after January 31, UK govt spokesman says

Britain’s Brexit department will be closed down once the country leaves the European Union at the end of January, a government spokesman said on Thursday.

The Department for Exiting the European Union was originally set up in July 2016 to oversee Britain’s negotiations to leave the EU and establish a future relationship with the bloc.

On Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to begin the process of passing legislation needed to ratify Britain’s EU exit on January 31, after which date the department will be closed, Reuters said.

Johnson said in the foreword to the Queen’s speech that “our first task is to get Brexit done and we will leave the EU at the end of January.”