Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU

By Alex Hunt & Brian Wheeler BBC News

31 January 2019

What does Brexit mean?

It is a word that is used as a shorthand way of saying the UK leaving the EU - merging the words Britain and exit to
get Brexit.
Further reading: The rise of the word Brexit

Why is Britain leaving the European Union?

A referendum - a vote in which everyone (or nearly everyone) of voting age can take part - was held on Thursday 23
June, 2016, to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union. Leave won by 51.9% to 48.1%.
The referendum turnout was 71.8%, with more than 30 million people voting.

What was the breakdown across the UK?

Leave Remain
England 53.4% 46.6%
Wales 52.5% 47.5%
Scotland 38% 62%
Northern Ireland 44.2% 55.8%
See the results in more detail.

What is the European Union?

The European Union - often known as the EU - is an economic and political partnership involving 28 European
countries (click here if you want to see the full list). It began after World War Two to foster economic co-operation,
with the idea that countries which trade together were more likely to avoid going to war with each other.
It has since grown to become a "single market" allowing goods and people to move around, basically as if the member
states were one country. It has its own currency, the euro, which is used by 19 of the member countries, its own
parliament and it now sets rules in a wide range of areas - including on the environment, transport, consumer rights
and even things such as mobile phone charges.
Click here for a beginners' guide to how the EU works.

When is the UK due to leave the EU?

For the UK to leave the EU it had to invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which gives the two sides two years to
agree the terms of the split. Theresa May triggered this process on 29 March, 2017, meaning the UK is scheduled to
leave at 11pm UK time on Friday, 29 March 2019. A European court has ruled that the UK can decide to halt the
process and stay in the EU at any time up to the deadline. Alternatively the process can be extended if all 28 EU
members agree. But at the moment all sides are focusing on that date as being the key one, and Theresa May has put it
into British law.

So is Brexit definitely happening?

As things stand, the UK is due to leave the European Union on 29 March, 2019, regardless of whether there
is a deal with the EU or not.

But could Brexit be cancelled?

Yes. Stopping Brexit would require a change in the law in the UK, something neither the government nor the main
UK opposition parties want to do at this point. The European Court of Justice ruled on 10 December 2018 that the UK
could cancel the Article 50 Brexit process without the permission of the other 27 EU members, and remain a member
of the EU on its existing terms, provided the decision followed a "democratic process", in other words, if Parliament
voted for it.

Could Brexit be delayed?

Possibly. The EU might agree to extend Article 50 if its leaders thought it would help smooth the process or if there
was a chance the UK could end up staying in, possibly through another referendum, but it would only be by a few
months. The UK's main opposition party, Labour, wants to force a general election and, after winning it, go back to
Brussels to negotiate its version of Brexit. That would also require Brexit day being pushed back from 29 March.
1
Labour has kept open the option of pushing for another referendum, which would also need an extension. Some
government ministers have also been talking about asking the EU for an extension of a few weeks to get all the
necessary legislation through Parliament

Could there be another referendum?

It would have to be put into law by the government, which they have said they will not do. They could be forced into
holding another referendum if enough MPs voted for it. Dozens of Labour MPs want another referendum, as do a
smaller number of Conservatives and most of the minor parties in the House of Commons. But without the official
support of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, who could order all Labour MPs to vote for it, those campaigning for
another public vote say they do not currently have the numbers to get it through. Mr Corbyn has not ruled out getting
behind another referendum but he wants to explore other options, such as toppling the government and forcing a
general election, first.

Why do politicians want a deal?

The main point of having a deal between the UK and the EU is to ensure as smooth as possible an exit from the EU
for businesses and individuals - and to allow time for the two sides to hammer out a permanent trading relationship.

What is in Theresa May's deal with the EU?

After months of negotiation, the UK and EU agreed a Brexit deal. It comes in two parts.
 A 585-page withdrawal agreement. This is a legally-binding text that sets the terms of the UK's divorce from the
EU. It covers how much money the UK owes the EU - an estimated £39bn - and what happens to UK citizens
living elsewhere in the EU and EU citizens living in the UK. It also proposes a method of avoiding the return of a
physical Northern Ireland border.
 A 26-page statement on future relations. This is not legally-binding and sketches out the kind of long-term
relationship the UK and EU want to have in a range of areas, including trade, defense and security.

What is the transition period?

It refers to a period of time after 29 March, 2019, to 31 December, 2020 (or possibly later), to get everything in place
and allow businesses and others to prepare for the moment when the new post-Brexit rules between the UK and the
EU begin. It also allows more time for the details of the new relationship to be fully hammered out. Free movement
will continue during the transition period, as the EU wanted. The UK will be able to strike its own trade deals -
although they won't be able to come into force until 1 January 2021. This transition period is currently only due to
happen if the UK and the EU agree a Brexit deal.

Could we leave without a deal?

Yes. This is the so-called no-deal Brexit.

What would happen if the UK left without a deal?

The UK would sever all ties with the EU with immediate effect, with no transition period and no guarantees on
citizens' rights of residence. The government fears this would cause significant disruption to businesses in the short-
term, with lengthy tailbacks of lorries at the channel ports, as drivers face new checks on their cargos. Food retailers
have warned of shortages of fresh produce and the NHS is stockpiling medicines, in case supplies from EU countries
are interrupted. Government ministers and multinational companies with factories in the UK have also warned about
the long-term impact on the British economy. Brexit-supporting MPs claim it would not be as bad as they say and the
UK would save on the £39bn divorce bill, as well as being free to strike its own beneficial trade deals around the
world.

Would trade with the EU continue?

The World Trade Organization sets rules for countries that don't have free trade deals with each other, including tariffs
- the taxes charged on the import of goods. Without an agreement on trade, the UK would trade with the EU under
World Trade Organization rules.

Is Theresa May's Brexit deal now dead?

Theresa May's deal cannot come into effect until it has been passed by Parliament. She had planned to put it to the
vote on 11 December but pulled it at the last minute because she was facing a big defeat. She did put it to the vote on
15 January 2019, after seeking "further reassurances" on MPs' concerns from the EU, and suffered a big defeat - the
biggest for a sitting government in Parliamentary history in fact. She lost by 230 votes.

2
The deal is not dead, however. Mrs May survived an attempt the following day by Labour to oust her as prime
minister, with all the 118 Conservative MPs who had voted against her deal voting to keep her in power. They say
they want her to have another go at getting a better deal from the EU, something she had previously insisted was not
possible.

So what is happening now?

Mrs May is trying to get a better deal from the EU. She wants to get changes to the legal text she agreed with the 27
other member states. MPs held a series of votes on 29 January on potential changes to Mrs May's deal. Most -
including a bid to delay Brexit to prevent a no-deal departure - were defeated.
MPs did back a call for the government to rule out a no-deal Brexit, but it was non-binding and Mrs May has
repeatedly insisted that the only way to ensure no deal is to back a deal.
The key vote for the prime minister was when MPs backed a call to replace the controversial Northern Ireland
backstop clause with "alternative" arrangements. Mrs May believes the backstop is the main reason so many of her
MPs and Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, who she relies on to support her in key Commons votes, are
against her deal.
She has promised to return to the Commons by 13 February at the latest with fresh proposals, which will be put to the
vote. MPs will again be able to suggest alternatives, including, for example, delaying Brexit or holding another
referendum.

Can the PM succeed in modifying the deal?

The EU has insisted it will not alter the legal text it has agreed with the UK and that the controversial Northern Ireland
backstop is part and parcel of that. The UK side hopes they will cave in at the last minute and agree to changes, when
faced with the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.

What is the backstop?

Media captionReality Check unpacks the basics of the backstop
When the UK leaves the EU, the 310-mile border between Ireland and Northern Ireland will become the land border
between the UK and the European Union.
Neither side wants to see a return to checkpoints, towers, customs posts or surveillance cameras at the border, in case
it reignites the Troubles and disrupts the free cross-border flow of trade and people. But they can't agree on a way to
do that.
The UK and EU agreed to put in place a "backstop" - a kind of safety net to ensure there is no hard border whatever
the outcome of future trade talks between the UK and the EU.
The backstop agreed between the two parties would keep Northern Ireland aligned to some EU rules on things like
food products and goods standards. That would prevent the need for checks on goods at the Irish border, but would
require some products being brought to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK to be subject to new checks and
controls.
The backstop would also involve a temporary single customs territory, effectively keeping the whole of the UK in the
EU customs union. If future trade talks broke down without a deal, the backstop would apply indefinitely. The
arrangement would end only with the agreement of both the UK and the EU.

Why are so many MPs against it?

They fear it could leave Britain tied to the EU indefinitely with no say over its rules and no ability to strike trade deals
with other countries.

Are there any solutions to it?

If there was an obvious solution that people agreed guaranteed no return of a hard border in Ireland it would probably
have been implemented by now. However, Mrs May has said she wants to talk to the EU about possible alternatives.
These include a "trusted trader" scheme to avoid physical checks on goods flowing through the border, "mutual
recognition" of rules with the EU and "technological" solutions.
She also wants to discuss a time limit on the backstop and a "unilateral exit" mechanism. All of these options have
previously been ruled out by the EU.

What happens if Mrs May can't get the deal through the Commons?
It is hard to say for certain. There are number of possible scenarios, including:
 Leaving the EU without a deal
 Another EU referendum (this can only happen if the government brings forward legislation to hold one and a
majority in the Commons supports it)
3
 A general election - Labour's preferred option but it would need a no-confidence vote in the PM to be passed
 MPs could take control of the Brexit process from the government
 Some of these options would involve delaying the official Brexit date of 29 March by a few months to allow time
to renegotiate a deal, if the EU agrees to that

Where does Theresa May stand on Brexit?

Theresa May was against Brexit during the referendum campaign but is now in favour of it because she says it is what
the British people want. She triggered the two year process of leaving the EU on 29 March, 2017:
 She set out her negotiating goals in a letter to the EU council president Donald Tusk.
 She outlined her plans for a transition period after Brexit in a big speech in Florence, Italy.
 She then set out her thinking on the kind of trading relationship the UK wants with the EU, in a speech in March
2018.

Is she safe as prime minister?

Theresa May is always in a precarious position because she lost her House of Commons majority in the 2017 general
election. She has survived two attempts to remove her from office so far. The first, in December 2018, was from a
group of her own MPs unhappy at her Brexit policy, who organised a no confidence vote in her as Conservative
leader. She survived by 200 votes to 117. She is now immune from another attempt to oust her as Tory leader until
December 2019.
The second was from the Labour Party, who held a no confidence vote in her government after her Brexit plan was
voted down in January 2019. All MPs were able to take part in this and she survived by 19 votes. Unlike the internal
Tory no confidence vote, there is no limit to the number of times she could face a confidence vote in Parliament and
Labour have not ruled out holding further ones.

What is the Labour Party's position on Brexit?

Labour says it accepts the referendum result and that Brexit is going to happen. But it opposes Theresa May's Brexit
plan, and wants to stop it and force a general election. If, however, it stops the PM's plan and there is no general
election it says the option of a new referendum would be on the table.
Leader Jeremy Corbyn says he would negotiate a permanent customs union with the EU after Brexit, which would be
very similar to the one it has now. This is the only way to keep trade flowing freely and protect jobs, he says, as well
as ensuring there is no return to a "hard border" in Northern Ireland. He has ruled out staying a member of the single
market, as some of his pro-EU MPs want, so he can carry out his plans to nationalise key industries without being
hampered by EU competition rules. He says the UK should have a very close relationship with the single market.
Labour accepts that some form of free movement of people might have to continue.

IF THERE IS A DEAL WITH THE EU

What happens to EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens in the EU?
An agreement between the UK and the EU provides what Theresa May says is certainty to the 3.2 million EU citizens
in the UK - as well as citizens of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland that they will be able to carry on
living and working in the UK as they have done with their rights enshrined in UK law and enforced by British courts.
UK citizens in the EU will also retain their current rights with what the EU's Jean-Claude Juncker called a cheap and
simple administration procedure.
The proposal provides a cut-off date of Brexit day - 29 March 2019 - for those to be covered by the rules. Babies born
after that date to people who have qualified under these rules will be included in the agreement. Under the plan EU
citizens legally resident in the UK and UK citizens in the EU will be able to leave for up to five years before losing the
rights they will have as part of the proposed Brexit deal.

How will EU citizens apply for the new status?

The UK government is launching an online system to allow EU citizens to apply for settled status on 30 March. The
government had originally planned to charge people £65 to use it but that fee has now been dropped and it is free.
Anyone who had already paid, when the scheme was being tested, will be reimbursed.

What about EU nationals who want to work in the UK?

Any EU citizen already living and working in the UK will be able to carry on working and living in the UK after
Brexit. The current plan is that even after Brexit, people from the EU will be able to move to work in the UK during a
"transition" phase of about two years. There is also some debate over whether they will have the same rights as those
who came before, with possible restrictions on access to benefits or to vote in local elections. The EU wants them to
have the same rights as now - the UK doesn't.
4
What exactly happens after the transition period has yet to be decided, but the proposal is for a work permit system
along the lines of that for non-EU nationals (see below).

Will immigration be cut?

Prime Minister Theresa May said one of the main messages she took from the Leave vote was that the British people
wanted to see a reduction in immigration. She has insisted the UK government remains committed to reducing annual
net migration - the difference between the number of people entering and leaving - to below 100,000.
Home Secretary Sajid Javid has declined to commit to this, however. Instead, he has said it will be brought down to
"sustainable" levels. Mr Javid published the government's long-awaited post-Brexit immigration plans in December.
Free movement of people from the EU will effectively continue until the end of the transition period in December
2020. After that, people from the EU will need visas to work in the UK, with priority given to skilled workers - the
same system that currently applies to migrants from outside the EU.
A consultation is being held on a minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for skilled migrants seeking five-year visas.
However, tens of thousands of low-skilled migrants could come to the UK to work for up to a year to protect parts of
the economy that rely on overseas labour. That measure would last until 2025. Visitors from the EU will not need
visas.

Will I need a visa to travel to the EU?

No. Under the Brexit deal, EU citizens and UK nationals will continue to be able to travel freely with a passport or
identity card until the end of the transition period in December 2020.
After this period ends, the European Commission has offered visa-free travel for UK nationals coming to the EU for a
short stay, as long as the UK offers the same in return.
British citizens will, however, have to pay €7 (£6.30) every three years to travel to EU countries,

Will I still be able to use my passport?

Yes. It is a British document - there is no such thing as an EU passport, so your passport will stay the same. The
government has decided to change the colour to blue for anyone applying for a new or replacement British passport
from October 2019.

Could the transition period be extended?

If no trade deal is in prospect by July 2020, the two sides could agree to extend the transition period instead. This
would avoid the need for the backstop at that time, and keep trade with the EU flowing as it does now.
They could do this only once. The transition could not go on being extended indefinitely.
But there is no agreement on how long any extension would be. Some have suggested the end of 2022, but the
government position has been for it all to be sorted before the next election, which is due in Spring 2022.
Either way, this could keep the UK under EU rules for at least three years after March's official Brexit date, something
Brexiteers are also unhappy about.

IF THERE IS A NO-DEAL BREXIT

Will EU nationals have to leave the UK?
Mrs May has said EU citizens in the UK will be able to stay even if there is no deal done on Brexit. It's worth saying
that even if no Brexit deal was done, EU nationals with a right to permanent residence, which is granted after they
have lived in the UK for five years, should not see their rights affected after Brexit.

What about Brits living in EU countries?

There is uncertainty about what no deal would mean for Britons living in France, Spain, Germany and elsewhere. The
priority for most will be to register as residents, but the rules - including deadlines for paperwork - vary from country
to country.

Will I need a visa to travel to the EU?

If Britain leaves without a deal, UK citizens hoping to travel to the EU for up to 90 days will not have to apply for a
visa - but the European Commission has said the EU's offer of visa-free travel to the UK was "entirely conditional
upon the UK also granting reciprocal and non-discriminatory visa-free travel for all EU member states".
The proposal - which will come into force on 29 March 2019 when the UK leaves the EU in the event of a no-deal
Brexit - must be adopted by the EU Parliament and European Council before it can come into force.
In the longer term, the EU is planning to launch an electronic application form, called ETIAS (European Travel
Information and Authorisation System), for many non-EU countries, including the UK. It would involve paying a fee
of €7 (£6.30) every three years.
5
What about healthcare rights?
Image copyright Thinkstock
No deal would mean the current reciprocal healthcare, shared by the UK and the EU27, would no longer apply. It
could send health insurance premiums soaring for UK citizens who need sufficient cover for holidays or work in the
EU. Britons could also find their European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) - a passport to emergency medical
treatment - is no longer valid in some EU countries. Read more here

What's going to happen to all the EU laws in force in the UK?

All existing EU laws will be copied across into UK law, to prevent legislative "black holes", under the terms of the
European Union (Withdrawal Bill). The UK government can then decide over a period of time which ones it wants to
keep, change or ditch.

SOME KEY BREXIT QUESTIONS

Will the UK be able to rejoin the EU in the future?
BBC Europe editor Katya Adler says the UK would have to start from scratch with no rebate, and enter accession
talks with the EU. Every member state would have to agree to the UK re-joining. But she says with elections looming
elsewhere in Europe, other leaders might not be generous towards any UK demands. New members are required to
adopt the euro as their currency, once they meet the relevant criteria, although the UK could try to negotiate an opt-
out.

Has immigration come down since the UK voted to leave the EU?
In the twelve months to June 2018, according to the Office for National Statistics, the number of non-EU citizens
living in the UK on a long term basis rose by 248,000. By contrast the number of citizens from elsewhere in the EU
rose by 74,000.
In other words, the result of the referendum has already had an impact before Brexit has actually happened.
In fact in the second quarter of 2018, more EU citizens may have left the UK than arrived in the UK, for the first time
in more than eight years (it's a bit hard to say because there's a big margin of error on the quarterly figures).

How much has Brexit cost so far and how much will it cost by the end?
There is much debate about the long-term costs and benefits to the UK economy of Brexit - but what we do know for
certain is that the EU wants the UK to settle any outstanding bills before it leaves.
The £39bn "divorce bill" will cover things like pension payments to EU officials, the cost of relocating London-based
EU agencies and outstanding EU budget commitments.
But the calculation of an exact UK share will depend on exchange rates, on interest rates, on the number of financial
commitments that never turn into payments, and more. The UK says that if there is no deal agreed on Brexit it would
pay substantially less and focus only on its "strict international legal obligations".

Why pay anything?

The UK could leave without any Brexit "divorce bill" deal but that would probably mean everyone ending up in court
battles. If compromise can be achieved, and if payment of the bill were to be spread over many years, the amounts
involved may not be that significant economically.

Will Brexit harm product safety?

Probably not, is the answer. It would depend on whether or not the UK decided to get rid of current safety standards.
Even if that happened any company wanting to export to the EU would have to comply with its safety rules, and it's
hard to imagine a company would want to produce two batches of the same products.

6
THE ECONOMY
What has happened to the UK economy since the Brexit vote?
David Cameron, his Chancellor George Osborne and many other senior figures who wanted to stay in the EU
predicted an immediate economic crisis if the UK voted to leave and it is true that the pound slumped the day after the
referendum - and is currently about 10% down against the dollar, and 10%-15% down against the euro. Predictions of
immediate doom were wrong, with the UK economy estimated to have grown 1.8% in 2016, second only to
Germany's 1.9% among the world's G7 leading industrialised nations. The UK economy continued to grow at almost
the same rate in 2017 although there was slower growth, of 1.1% in the first nine months of 2018.
 Inflation rose after June 2016 but has since eased to stand at 2.2%.
 Unemployment has continued to fall, to stand at a 43-year year low of 4%.
 Annual house price increases have steadily fallen from 8.2% in June 2016 to 2.8% in the year to November 2018,
according to official ONS figures. This is the lowest annual increase in prices for five years, but it is still higher
than inflation so property continues to show "real terms" increases in prices.

LEGAL MATTERS
Will leaving the EU means the UK doesn't have to abide by the European Court of Human Rights?
The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg is not a European Union institution. It was set up by the
Council of Europe, which has 47 members including Russia and Ukraine. So quitting the EU will not exempt the UK
from its decisions.
The Conservatives are committed to sticking with the Human Rights Act which requires UK courts to treat the ECHR
as setting legal precedents for the UK during the Brexit process.

What about the European Court of Justice?

The Court of Justice of the European Union - to give it its full name - is the EU's highest legal authority. It is based in
Luxembourg. It is an entirely different thing to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
It is the European Court of Human Rights, not the ECJ that has often upset British politicians by making it harder, for
example, to deport terrorist suspects. The ECJ interprets and enforces the rules of the single market, settling disputes
between member countries over issues like free movement and trade. It is at the centre of pretty much everything the
EU does and it having the power over UK actions has been a key issue for those arguing for the UK to leave to the EU
to regain full sovereignty.
Prime Minister Theresa May has vowed that Britain will not be under the "direct" jurisdiction of the ECJ after Brexit.
But she has suggested that elements of relations could - where the UK signs up to specific EU agencies - still be
covered by the ECJ after Brexit
After that, there will need to be a new mechanism for settling disputes between the UK and the EU but what form that
take has yet to be decided. There has been talk of an ombudsman, or some other third party, being appointed to settle
disagreements.
The version of the Brexit deal, published on 8 December 2017, do also give limited powers to the ECJ in terms of EU
citizens living in the UK for up to eight years. The political declaration document makes clear that ECJ will continue
to have a role on interpreting EU law after Brexit.

What do 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit mean?

These terms are used during debate on the terms of the UK's departure from the EU. There is no strict definition of
either, but they are used to refer to the closeness of the UK's relationship with the EU post-Brexit.
So at one extreme, "hard" Brexit could involve the UK refusing to compromise on issues like the free movement of
people even if it meant leaving the single market or having to give up hopes of aspects of free trade arrangements. At
the other end of the scale, a "soft" Brexit might follow a similar path to Norway, which is a member of the single
market and has to accept the free movement of people as a result of that.

What is the zsingle market?

The single market is seen by its advocates as the EU's biggest achievement and one of the main reasons it was set up
in the first place. Britain was a member of a free trade area in Europe before it joined what was then known as the
common market. In a free trade area countries can trade with each other without paying tariffs - but it is not a single
market because the member states do not have to merge their economies together.
The European Union single market, which was completed in 1992, allows the free movement of goods, services,
money and people within the European Union, as if it was a single country. It is possible to set up a business or take a
job anywhere within it. The idea was to boost trade, create jobs and lower prices. But it requires common law-making
to ensure products are made to the same technical standards and imposes other rules to ensure a "level playing field".
7
Critics say it generates too many petty regulations and robs members of control over their own affairs. Mass migration
from poorer to richer countries has also raised questions about the free movement rule.

What's the difference between the single market and the customs union?
The customs union ensures EU member states all charge the same import duties to countries outside the EU. It allows
member states to trade freely with each other, without burdensome customs checks at borders, but it limits their
freedom to strike their own trade deals.
It is different from a free trade area. In a free trade area no tariffs, taxes or quotas are charged on goods and services
moving within the area but members are free to strike their own external trade deals.
The government says the UK is leaving the customs union after the transition period but ministers have yet to decide
on what will replace it.

THE POLITICAL SITUATION

What changed in government after the 2016 referendum?
Britain got a new Prime Minister - Theresa May. The former home secretary took over from David Cameron, who
announced he was resigning on the day he lost the referendum. She became PM without facing a full Conservative
leadership contest after her key rivals from what had been the Leave side pulled out.

How did the snap 2017 election change things?

Theresa May surprised almost everyone after the 2017 Easter Bank Holiday by calling an election for 8 June (it had
not been due until 2020). She said she wanted to strengthen her hand in Brexit negotiations with European leaders.
She said Labour, the SNP and other opposition parties - and members of the House of Lords - would try to block and
frustrate her strategy. However Mrs May did not increase her party's seats in the Commons and she ended up
weakened, having to rely on support from the 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party.

Has any other member state ever left the EU?

No nation state has ever left the EU. But Greenland, one of Denmark's overseas territories, held a referendum in 1982,
after gaining a greater degree of self government, and voted by 52% to 48% to leave, which it duly did after a period
of negotiation.

What does this mean for Scotland?

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said in the wake of the Leave result that it was "democratically
unacceptable" that Scotland faced being taken out of the EU when it voted to Remain.
She has called for an extension of the 21-month transition period to give the UK government more time to negotiate a
compromise with opposition parties - and has officially asked for another referendum to be held, on the final Brexit
deal.
The SNP leader wants to stay in the customs union and single market after Brexit, describing it as the "least
damaging" option for the UK economy as a whole - and has thrown her weight behind the campaign for another EU
referendum.

BREXIT NEGOTIATIONS
They officially started a year after the referendum, on 19 June, 2017.
The UK and EU negotiating teams met face-to-face for one week each month, with a few extra sessions also thrown in
ahead of EU summits. Their first tasks were trying to get an agreement on the rights of UK and EU expat citizens after
Brexit, reaching a figure for the amount of money the UK will need to pay on leaving, the so-called "divorce bill", and
what happens to the Northern Ireland border. A provisional deal on these issues was reached on 8 December, 2017:
'Breakthrough' deal in Brexit talks. They then agreed terms for the "transition" phase and now have moved on to the
permanent post-Brexit relationship, while trying to agree on the precise wording of the divorce issues.

Who has been negotiating Britain's exit from the EU?

Theresa May set up a government department:
 Headed by veteran Conservative MP and Leave campaigner David Davis, to take responsibility for Brexit
talks
 Former defence secretary, Liam Fox, who also campaigned to leave the EU, was given the new job of
international trade secretary
 Boris Johnson, who was a leader of the official Leave campaign, was foreign secretary

8
These three were each playing roles in negotiations with the EU. However that has all changed now, with Boris
Johnson and David Davis resigning over Theresa May's preferred Brexit plan. Dominic Raab took over as Brexit
secretary - but resigned in November - and Jeremy Hunt is foreign secretary. Mrs May has made clear that she is in
charge of the negotiations and the new Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay will not be getting heavily involved in the
Brussels talks. Senior civil servant Olly Robbins has been the top EU official at the Brexit talks in Brussels. He started
out at the top official at the Brexit department but was moved to the Cabinet Office to work directly for Theresa May,
as the PM took more control over the process.

THE REFERENDUM CAMPAIGN

Who wanted the UK to leave the EU?
The UK Independence Party, which received nearly four million votes - 13% of those cast - in the 2015 general
election, but who saw their vote collapse to about a quarter of that at this year's election, has campaigned for many
years for Britain's exit from the EU. They were joined in their call during the referendum campaign by about half the
Conservative Party's MPs, including Boris Johnson and five members of the then Cabinet. A handful of Labour MPs
and Northern Ireland party the DUP were also in favour of leaving.

What were their reasons for wanting the UK to leave?

They said Britain was being held back by the EU, which they said imposed too many rules on business and charged
billions of pounds a year in membership fees for little in return. They also wanted the UK to make all of its own laws
again, rather than being created through shared decision making with other EU nations.
Immigration was also a big issue for Brexit supporters. They wanted Britain to take back full control of its borders and
reduce the number of people coming here to live and/or work.
One of the main principles of EU membership is "free movement", which means you don't need to get a visa to go and
live in another EU country. The Leave campaign also objected to the idea of "ever closer union" between EU member
states and what they see as moves towards the creation of a "United States of Europe".

Who wanted the UK to stay in the EU?

Then Prime Minister David Cameron was the leading voice in the Remain campaign, after reaching an agreement with
other European Union leaders that would have changed the terms of Britain's membership had the country voted to
stay in.
He said the deal would give Britain "special" status and help sort out some of the things British people said they didn't
like about the EU, like high levels of immigration - but critics said the deal would make little difference.
Sixteen members of Mr Cameron's Cabinet, including the woman who would replace him as PM, Theresa May, also
backed staying in. The Conservative Party was split on the issue and officially remained neutral in the campaign. The
Labour Party, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, the Green Party and the Liberal Democrats were all in favour of
staying in.
The then US president Barack Obama also wanted Britain to remain in the EU - unlike his successor, Donald Trump,
who is an enthusiastic champion of Brexit - as did the leaders of other EU nations such as France and Germany.

What were their reasons for wanting the UK to stay?

Those campaigning for Britain to stay in the EU said it got a big boost from membership - it makes selling things to
other EU countries easier and, they argued, the flow of immigrants, most of whom are young and keen to work, fuels
economic growth and helps pay for public services.
They also said Britain's status in the world would be damaged by leaving and that we are more secure as part of the 28
nation club, rather than going it alone.

What about businesses?

Big business - with a few exceptions - tended to be in favour of Britain staying in the EU because it makes it easier for
them to move money, people and products around the world.
Given the crucial role of London as a financial centre, there's interest in how many jobs may be lost to other hubs in
the EU. Some UK exporters say they've had increased orders or enquiries because of the fall in the value of the pound.
Others are less optimistic, fearing products for the European market may have to be made at plants in the EU.

Who led the rival sides in the referendum campaign?

 Britain Stronger in Europe - the main cross-party group campaigning for Britain to remain in the EU was headed
by former Marks and Spencer chairman Lord Rose. It was backed by key figures from the Conservative Party,
including Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne, most Labour MPs, including party
leader Jeremy Corbyn and Alan Johnson, who ran the Labour In for Britain campaign, the Lib Dems, Plaid
9
 Cymru, the Alliance party and the SDLP in Northern Ireland, and the Green Party. Who funded the campaign:
Britain Stronger in Europe raised £12.1m, including two donations totalling £2.3m from the supermarket magnate
and Labour peer Lord Sainsbury. Other prominent Remain donors included hedge fund manager David Harding
(£750,000), businessman and Travelex founder Lloyd Dorfman (£500,000) and the Tower Limited Partnership
(£500,000). Read a Who's Who guide. Who else campaigned to remain: The SNP ran its own remain campaign
in Scotland as it did not want to share a platform with the Conservatives. Several smaller groups also registered to
campaign.

 Vote Leave - A cross-party campaign that had the backing of senior Conservatives such as Michael Gove and
Boris Johnson plus a handful of Labour MPs, including Gisela Stuart and Graham Stringer, and UKIP's Douglas
Carswell and Suzanne Evans, and the DUP in Northern Ireland. Former Tory chancellor Lord Lawson and SDP
founder Lord Owen were also involved. It had a string of affiliated groups such as Farmers for Britain, Muslims
for Britain and Out and Proud, a gay anti-EU group, aimed at building support in different communities. Who
funded the campaign: Vote Leave raised £9.8m. Among its supporters was businessman Patrick Barbour, who
gave £500,000. Former Conservative Party treasurer Peter Cruddas gave a £350,000 donation and construction
mogul Terence Adams handed over £300,000. Read a Who's Who guide. Who else campaigned to leave: UKIP
leader Nigel Farage was not part of Vote Leave. His party ran its own campaign and was involved in Leave.EU, a
campaign run by former UKIP donor Arron Banks, which raised a total of £3.2m. The Trade Union and Socialist
Coalition also ran its own out campaign. Several smaller groups also registered to campaign.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-32810887

10