Aldito Yazum Fiendra

2203220033

British Studies

Brexit

Brexit, shorten for Britain Exit, is the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the
European Union (EU). The process of the withdrawal was complicated. The United Kingdom
was set to leave the European Union on March 2019. However, it has been delayed on three
occasions. The result of the Brexit referendum was; 51, 9% of the United Kingdom’s citizen
vote for the United Kingdom to leave the European Union and 48, 1% the United Kingdom’s
citizen vote for the United Kingdom to remain in the European Union.

The negotiations be done in two phases; First, the United Kingdom and the European
Union would have two years to agree on how the exit should be done. Then, after the United
Kingdom has already outside of the European Union, they could begin to put together an
agreement on their future relationship, including trade deals. Theresa May lead the deal for
the Brexit, but the United Kingdom Parliament said no to the deals three times. Theresa May
did not have enough support for her vision of how to deliver Brexit. The elected new Prime
Minister, Boris Johnson, reopened talks with the other 27 European countries and claimed
that he replaced the controversial Irish backstop. He went back to the United Kingdom
Parliament to get the necessary approval from the United Kingdom lawmakers. The United
Kingdom finally managed to withdraw from the European Union on 31 January 2020.

One of the main concerns in the European capitals following the Brexit was the risk
of contagion. The European Union may be able to survive the exit of Britain, but the concern
was that this could trigger a domino effect with the referendum in other countries. Concerns
about immigration and the loss of distinct national identity were important to many who
favoured Brexit, and they were issues that clearly divided the Leave and Remain campaigns.
The result of the Brexit referendum portrays a deeply divided county, not only along class,
education, and generational lines, but also in terms of geography. There are also concerns of
many citizens who have not felt the economies benefits of free trade and globalization, and
who feel that their distinct national identity and culture is under threat from immigration and
European integration.

Britain has always been a reluctant partner standing on the side lines of the European
project. As the French President De Gaulle noted as early as 1963: ‘England is in effect
insular . . . She has, all in her doings, very marked and very original habits and traditions.’
(Franks 1964: 70). The benefits of Brexit are for example; the economical benefit and
immigrations. Britain to leave the European Union is Britain to regain control of British
borders, British law-making, and restrict immigration. There are also the economies benefits
of free trade and globalization. However, the United Kingdom government still have a lot of
work to bring these benefits for every citizen to be able to feel it because the benefits
obtained have not been felt by many citizens.