What happens when the Britain leaves the European Union?

Voters have voted in favor of Brexit: British exit from the European Union. That means that in
the coming months, British and European leaders will begin negotiating the terms of Britain's
departure.

Britain's exit will affect the British economy, immigration policy, and lots more. It will take
years for the full consequences to become clear. But here are some of the most important
changes we can expect in the coming months

The process of leaving the EU will take years

Britain's vote to leave the EU is not legally binding, and there are a few ways it could
theoretically be blocked or overturned. However, as the BBC notes, "it would be seen as political
suicide to go against the will of the people as expressed in a referendum."

The vote has forced Prime Minister David Cameron to resign

British Prime Minister David Cameron didn’t want to hold a vote on Brexit at all. But in 2014,
he faced growing pressure from the populist right over immigration and Britain’s EU
membership. To mollify dissenters in his own party and stop the rise of the far-right UK
Independence Party, Cameron promised to hold a referendum on leaving the EU if his
Conservative Party won the 2015 election.

The Conservatives surprised pollsters by winning an outright majority in Parliament, and

Cameron kept his promise. But he wasn’t personally in favor of exiting the EU, and he
campaigned vigorously for a "Remain" vote. At the same time, he allowed other members of his
government to campaign on the other side. This created the spectacle of senior members of the
UK government, from the same party, campaigning on opposite sides of one of the biggest issues
in British politics in decades.

The Advantages and Drawbacks of leaving the EU:

Economic benefits
The EU is one of the world’s largest markets, accounting for 25 per cent of global GDP.
It is also our biggest trading partner. Currently, 45 per cent of the UK’s exports are to the EU,
while 50 per cent of imports are from the EU.

Workers’ rights
The EU has introduced many directives which undoubtedly help British workers and protect our
rights.
These include:
 Regulated working hours and break times, so people cannot be forced to work more than 48
hours a week
 At least four weeks of guaranteed annual leave
 Four months paid parental leave and extra protections for pregnant workers
 Protection for workers when companies change ownership

Food, health and animal rights

Most of the UK’s food standards laws originate in the EU, meaning many potentially harmful
additives are banned from food.
This is why the ingredients lists for some of our food is a lot shorter than their equivalents in the
US, for example.
As well as this, the EU banned animal testing across the union, and EU-wide animal welfare
standards have been imposed since 2012.

Jobs
It’s estimated that around three million UK jobs are reliant on the EU – although it’s not known
exactly how many would be in jeopardy if we left.