Getting done with Brexit: Conservative MPs and the parliamentary scrutiny of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Following the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, the House of Commons witnessed extraordinary levels of political conflict and deadlock. The Brexit transition period in 2020 marked a departure from this state of parliamentary battle. In the aftermath of the 2019 General Election and with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, the premiership of Boris Johnson was characterised by peaceful and quiet debates on Brexit. MPs progressively shifted their focus away from the issue, despite the government negotiating the consequential post-Brexit trade deal and future framework of UK-EU relations. Based on 26 semi-structured interviews, this article shows that the lack of parliamentary scrutiny at such a crucial time is explained by widespread Brexit fatigue amongst Conservative MPs. It analyses the reasons for this fatigue in the context of its long-term political implications. A key finding of the article is that most Conservative MPs disregarded the potential impact of their lack of scrutiny and decided to retract from the process.