Brexit refers to the country’s exit from the European Union and is a fusion of the words Britain and exit. The term has been used since the proposal for Britain to leave the trading bloc was put forward by former Prime Minister David Cameron and former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in May 2016. For the past three decades, the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands have been members of the same, with the exception of a brief period in the early 1990s. More than 30 million people took part in the referendum, with more than 50 per cent of voters voting to leave the European Union.
Given that 17.4 million people voted to leave the EU in 2016, this is unlikely to have much impact. If lawmakers refuse again to ratify May’s Brexit deal, Britain would be forced to consult the EU, in which case it would have to show a way forward if it wanted to grant an extension, it said. This would mean holding a second Brexit referendum or general election, though the EU would set its terms only on condition that it is not perceived as interfering in Britain’s internal political affairs.
Britain and the EU agreed the terms of the Brexit deal in November 2018 after months of negotiations. The Withdrawal Agreement is a 550-page document that addresses issues arising from the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, such as preventing British citizens from being able to live in the EU and their rights under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after Brexit, and the rights of EU citizens living in the UK to avoid Brexit. A political declaration that is a much shorter document setting out the terms of the UK’s exit from the EU and its relationship with the European Union (EU).
Previously Brexit has led to the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron, and under his successor, Prime Minister Theresa May, Britain has spent years trying to negotiate a new relationship with the EU. Supporters of Britain’s Brexit argue that by reclaiming this union of national sovereignty, it would be better able to manage immigration and generate more dynamic growth. The UK’s leaders have now committed to leaving the EU’s single market by October 2019, and the country faces an uncertain future in its relations with the world’s second largest economy. Both sides are trying to reach an agreement on the terms of their future relationship by December 31, when the current two-year negotiations between Britain and the European Union are officially over. After a series of negotiations in Brussels between May and EU President Donald Tusk in June 2016, and after the UK decided to leave the bloc, they agreed on a provisional free trade agreement. There is much to be done for a successful EU-UK Brexit deal, both for the future of the single market and for the UK’s future relationship with the rest of Europe.
London and Brussels must agree that Britain will follow the same EU rules as before, including the rules of the single market and customs union, but this time it will be all about them. Even if a zero-tariff and zero-quota agreement is reached, it will still be necessary to protect the trade in goods between the UK and the EU, which is worth more than $1 trillion annually.
Much of the post-referendum analysis has shown that fear of immigration is the most important factor in voters “decision to leave the EU. The Vote Leave campaign persuaded undecideds that the £350million a week Britain pays to the EU could be spent on the NHS. In the months leading up to Britain’s planned exit from the EU, delays, risks and constant bickering were enough to prompt Brexiteers to rethink, opinion polls have shown.
Brexit is the bizarre name given to the UK’s decision to leave the EU, and the UK will soon be out of the trading bloc. Britain is leaving the EU without a future trade deal, and the European Union and its 27 member states are trying to negotiate a divorce deal as soon as possible, because soon after Britain will be outside their trading blocs and subject to EU rules.
It will mean far more than it does now, because the first years after Brexit will follow, and Britain will take on new political, economic, and social attitudes. Brexit will divide the nation well before it leaves the European Union, even before negotiations or at least discussions have taken place. The second referendum seems to be a national panacea, but the referendum did not command the support of the majority of the people of Britain, or indeed many parts of England and Wales.