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Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU Brexit: All you need to know about the UK leaving the EU
(25 days later)
The UK is due to leave the European Union (EU) on 31 January 2020, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit deal was backed by MPs. The UK will no longer be a member of the European Union (EU) after 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020.
For those not following every twist and turn, this guide covers the basics. For those not following every twist and turn, this is what you need to know.
What is Brexit?What is Brexit?
Brexit - British exit - refers to the UK leaving the EU.Brexit - British exit - refers to the UK leaving the EU.
A public vote (known as a referendum) was held in June 2016, when 17.4 million people opted for Brexit. This gave the Leave side 52%, compared with 48% for Remain.
What is the European Union?What is the European Union?
The EU is an economic and political union involving 28 European countries. It allows free trade and free movement of people, to live and work in whichever country they choose. The EU is an economic and political union involving 28 European countries. It allows free trade, which means goods can move between member countries without any checks or extra charges. The EU also allows free movement of people, to live and work in whichever country they choose.
The UK joined in 1973 (when it was known as the European Economic Community). If the UK leaves, it would be the first member state to withdraw from the EU. The UK joined in 1973 (when it was known as the European Economic Community) and it will be the first member state to withdraw.
Why is the UK leaving? What happens after Brexit day?
A public vote - or referendum - was held on Thursday 23 June 2016, to decide whether the UK should leave or remain. After the UK formally leaves the EU on 31 January 2020, there is still a lot to talk about and months of negotiation will follow.
Leave won by 52% to 48%. The referendum turnout was very high at 72%, with more than 30 million people voting - 17.4 million people opting for Brexit. While the UK has agreed the terms of its EU departure, both sides still need to decide what their future relationship will look like.
Why hasn't Brexit happened yet? This will be worked out during the transition period (which some prefer to call the implementation period), which begins immediately after Brexit day and is due to end on 31 December 2020.
Brexit was originally due to happen on 29 March 2019. That was two years after then Prime Minister Theresa May triggered Article 50 - the formal process to leave - and kicked off negotiations. During this 11-month period, the UK will continue to follow all of the EU's rules and its trading relationship will remain the same.
Under Mrs May, the deadline was delayed twice after MPs rejected her Brexit deal - eventually pushing the date to 31 October 2019. What needs to be agreed?
After replacing Mrs May as PM, Mr Johnson was required to seek a third extension after MPs failed to pass a revised Brexit deal into law. The transition period is meant to give both sides some breathing space while a new free trade agreement is negotiated.
The new deadline has been set for 31 January 2020, three and a half years after the referendum was held. This is needed because the UK will leave the single market and customs union at the end of the transition. A free trade agreement allow goods to move around the EU without checks or extra charges.
Why did Parliament reject Theresa May's Brexit deal? If a new one cannot be agreed in time, then the UK faces the prospect of having to trade with no deal in place. That would mean tariffs (taxes) on UK goods travelling to the EU and other trade barriers.
The main sticking point for many Conservative MPs and the DUP (the government's ally in Parliament at the time) was the Irish backstop. Aside from trade, many other aspects of the future UK-EU relationship will also need to be decided. For example:
The backstop was designed to ensure there would be no border posts or barriers between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit. Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists the transition period will not be extended, but the European Commission has warned that the timetable will be extremely challenging.
If it had been needed, the backstop would have kept the UK in a close trading relationship with the EU and avoided checks altogether. What is the Brexit deal?
But many MPs were critical. They said if the backstop was used, the UK could be trapped in it for years. This would prevent the country from striking trade deals with other countries. The transition period and other aspects of the UK's departure were agreed in a separate deal called the withdrawal agreement.
After MPs rejected the deal for a third time, Mrs May resigned as prime minister. Most of that was negotiated by Theresa May's government. But after Mr Johnson replaced her in July 2019, he removed the most controversial part - the backstop.
What is the new Brexit deal? The backstop was designed to ensure there would be no border posts or barriers between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit. If needed, it would have kept the UK in a close trading relationship with the EU.
After winning the Conservative leadership contest, Mr Johnson took over as PM in July 2019 and set about renegotiating Mrs May's deal. Under Mr Johnson's deal, a customs border will effectively be created between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Some goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain will be subject to checks and will have to pay EU import taxes (known as tariffs).
Mr Johnson succeeded in replacing the backstop with new customs arrangements. Unlike the previous deal, the revised one will allow the UK to sign and implement its own trade agreements with countries around the world.
However, the revised deal effectively creates a customs and regulatory border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This means some goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain would be subject to checks and pay EU import taxes (known as tariffs).
These would be refunded if goods remain in Northern Ireland (ie are not moved to the Republic of Ireland).These would be refunded if goods remain in Northern Ireland (ie are not moved to the Republic of Ireland).
The rest of the deal remains largely unchanged from the one negotiated by Mrs May. Known as the withdrawal agreement, it includes: Supporters of the new customs arrangement say it will allow the UK to negotiate its own trade deals with other countries - something that would not have been possible under the backstop.
Has the new Brexit deal been approved? The rest of the withdrawal agreement is largely unchanged from the one negotiated by Mrs May. This includes:
Mr Johnson tried to put his revised deal to a vote in Parliament on 19 October 2019. Why did Brexit take so long?
However, the vote did not go ahead. Many MPs wanted to postpone it until the legislation needed to turn the deal into law had been approved. MPs said this was to stop a possible no-deal Brexit. Brexit was originally meant to happen on 29 March 2019, but the deadline was delayed twice after MPs rejected the deal negotiated by Mrs May, the prime minister at the time.
With Parliament in deadlock, Mr Johnson called an early general election, to which MPs agreed. Many Conservative MPs and the DUP (the government's then ally in Parliament) were unhappy with the backstop - arguing that the UK could remain trapped in the arrangement for years with no way out.
The election, which happened on 12 December, resulted in a Conservative majority of 80. After MPs voted down the deal for a third time, Mrs May resigned.
Eight days later, MPs voted 358 to 234 in favour of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, which now goes on to further scrutiny in Parliament. Mr Johnson needed a Brexit extension of his own after MPs failed to get the revised deal passed into law.
The remaining stages of the bill are expected to be completed quickly in January. This led to the new deadline of 31 January 2020.
What happens next? With Parliament still in deadlock, Mr Johnson called an early general election, to which MPs agreed.
Assuming the European Parliament also gives the green light, the UK will formally leave the EU on 31 January with a withdrawal deal. The election, which happened on 12 December 2019, resulted in a Conservative majority of 80.
However, this would only mark the next step in the Brexit process. Following its departure, the UK will enter a transition period until 31 December 2020. With a sizeable majority in Parliament, it proved straight forward to pass the Brexit legislation.
During this period, the UK's trading relationship with the EU will remain the same while the two sides negotiate a free trade deal. At the same time, many other aspects of the UK's future relationship with the EU - including law enforcement, data sharing and security - will need to be agreed. What questions do you have about Brexit and the future?
If a trade deal is ready in time, the UK's new relationship with the EU can begin immediately after the transition. If not, the UK faces the prospect of having to trade with no agreement in force. This would mean checks and tariffs on UK goods travelling to the EU. In some cases your question will be published, displaying your name, age and location as you provide it, unless you state otherwise. Your contact details will never be published. Please ensure you have read our terms & conditions and privacy policy.
Mr Johnson has also ruled out any form of extension to the transition period, meaning the clock is already ticking. Use this form to ask your question: