Johnson to welcome new MPs to UK Parliament

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will on Monday address the new Conservative Party MPs as they arrive in Westminster to take their seats in Parliament.

Many of the 109 new MPs won in areas traditionally held by the opposition Labour Party in the December 12 general election, which saw the Conservatives gain an 80-seat majority, reports the BBC.

The MPs' first job will be to vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) on leaving the European Union (EU) that Johnson intends to bring back before Christmas.

Johnson is also expected to carry out a mini cabinet reshuffle on Monday as he needs to fill posts made vacant by those who stood down ahead of the general election.

The Queen will formally open Parliament on Thursday when she sets out the government's legislative programme.

It is thought the WAB could be put before MPs as early as Friday.

With the large majority, the Bill is expected to pass through Parliament in time to meet Johnson's promise for the UK to leave the EU on January 31, 2020.

Johnson then has to negotiate a new trade agreement with the EU and have it ratified before the end of the post-Brexit transition period that ends on December 31, 2020.

He has repeatedly said that the transition period will not be extended. IANS