What does Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal mean for women?

On 21 October 2019, Boris Johnson’s government published the text of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. It sets out the terms under which the UK would leave the European Union. The Women’s Budget Group has analysed this document and the accompanying impact assessment in brief as to what it would mean for women. We set out three key concerns: 

1. The ‘equality impact assessment’ published by the government does not assess the impact on women or other groups with protected characteristics. 
2. The economic impact of this relatively ‘hard’ Brexit will disproportionately impact women.
3. There is increased scope for deregulation. This Bill does not provide sufficient legal protection against regression. 

Read our analysis in full here.