The United Kingdom has officially left the European Union (EU) after 47-year of membership, embarking upon a new but still uncertain future. The UK becomes the first country to leave the EU since joining it in 1973.
The exit was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests. However, nothing will change straight away, because of an 11-month transition period negotiated as part of an EU-UK exit deal. In this transition period, Britons will be able to work in and trade freely with EU nations and Britain will follow all the policies of the EU until December 31, although the UK will no longer be represented in the bloc’s institutions.
Let us give you a step by step breakdown of what Brexit really means.
What is Brexit?
Brexit is an abbreviation of “Britain Exit”. Brexit means that Britain would split from the EU and shall change its relationship to the bloc on trade, security, and migration. A referendum was held in June 2016, in which it was voted to determine whether Britain would remain a part of the EU or would leave. Over 17.4 million people opted for Brexit in which 52 percent voted in the favour of Brexit and 48 percent voted against.
What is European Union (EU)?
The European Union is an economic and political union between 28 European countries. The predecessor of the EU was created in the aftermath of the Second World War. It was first known as the European Economic Community (ECC) and the name was changed to the European Union (EU) in 1993. The European Union is the largest trade block in the world. It allows free trade, which means goods can move between member countries without any barriers. The EU also allows free movement of people as well. The UK joined the EU in 1973 and becomes the first member to withdraw it.
Political movement towards Brexit
The first such referendum was held in 1975 after the Labour party promised such a poll in its election campaign. However, 75 percent of people voted against the proposal.
In 2013, British Prime Minister David Cameron from the ‘Remain Camp’ vowed a referendum to hear the British opinion in his 2015 election campaign. After the referendum in 2016, 52 percent voted in the favour of Brexit and David Cameron was not in the favour of leaving the EU. As a result, David Cameron resigned. He said, “I was absolutely clear about my belief that Britain is stronger, safer and better off inside the EU. But the British people made a decision to take a different path. As such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction.”
Then the British Parliament appointed Theresa May as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and directed her to create an agreement for Brexit that would not harm the UK policies. However, Theresa May also resigned on July 24, 2019. Theresa May said that she had tried her best to deliver Brexit but accepted that she had not managed to get MPs to agree.
Boris Johnson became the new prime minister of the United Kingdom and successfully completed the Brexit. Boris removed the most controversial part – the backstop. The backstop was designed to ensure there would be no border posts or barriers between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit.
What’s next?
Now that the United Kingdom has formally left the EU, it shall immediately enter an 11-month transition period. During this transition, the UK will continue to obey EU rules and pay money to the EU. After the completion of the transition period, major changes will occur, such as UK nationals will not be allowed to travel freely in the EU countries. British ministers will also no longer attend regular EU meetings. The UK will be able to start talking to countries around the world about setting new rules for buying and selling goods and services. However, the Britons remain as divided today as they were nearly four years ago when 52 percent voted to leave and 48 percent voted to remain in the EU.
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