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| Brexit: Six key questions after Britain's vote to exit the EU | Brexit: Six key questions after Britain's vote to exit the EU |
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| Brexit - Britain's exit from the EU - has left a sea of confusion in its frothy wake. Here is a quick look at some of the current key questions yet to be answered following Thursday's referendum. | Brexit - Britain's exit from the EU - has left a sea of confusion in its frothy wake. Here is a quick look at some of the current key questions yet to be answered following Thursday's referendum. |
| When is the UK leaving? Why hasn't it left already? | When is the UK leaving? Why hasn't it left already? |
| For the UK to leave the EU, it has to formally invoke an agreement called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. No country has ever left the EU, so Article 50 is untested. | For the UK to leave the EU, it has to formally invoke an agreement called Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. No country has ever left the EU, so Article 50 is untested. |
| Once Article 50 has been invoked in a letter or a speech, the formal process of withdrawing from the EU can begin, at which point the UK has two years to negotiate its withdrawal with the other member states. Extricating the UK from the EU will be extremely complex, and the process could drag on longer than that. | Once Article 50 has been invoked in a letter or a speech, the formal process of withdrawing from the EU can begin, at which point the UK has two years to negotiate its withdrawal with the other member states. Extricating the UK from the EU will be extremely complex, and the process could drag on longer than that. |
| In his statement after the results of the referendum, UK Prime Minister David Cameron - who backed Remain - said he would resign in October and leave it to his successor to decide when to trigger Article 50. | In his statement after the results of the referendum, UK Prime Minister David Cameron - who backed Remain - said he would resign in October and leave it to his successor to decide when to trigger Article 50. |
| Leave campaigners say they want informal discussions with the EU first, but the foreign ministers of France and Germany have called for Article 50 to be triggered as soon as possible to avoid prolonging a period of uncertainty. | Leave campaigners say they want informal discussions with the EU first, but the foreign ministers of France and Germany have called for Article 50 to be triggered as soon as possible to avoid prolonging a period of uncertainty. |
| Could Brexit break up the UK? | Could Brexit break up the UK? |
| Unlike England and Wales, Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it is "democratically unacceptable" for the country to be taken out of the union against its will. | Unlike England and Wales, Scotland voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU, and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says it is "democratically unacceptable" for the country to be taken out of the union against its will. |
| A second independence referendum for the country is now "highly likely", she says, and recent polls suggest roughly 60% of Scots are now in favour of leaving the UK in order to remain in the EU. | A second independence referendum for the country is now "highly likely", she says, and recent polls suggest roughly 60% of Scots are now in favour of leaving the UK in order to remain in the EU. |
| One constitutional expert has suggested Scotland could go further under its law and effectively veto Brexit, although others have dismissed this idea as extreme. | One constitutional expert has suggested Scotland could go further under its law and effectively veto Brexit, although others have dismissed this idea as extreme. |
| Northern Ireland also voted in favour of remain, and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, of the Sinn Fein party, has called for a referendum on reuniting the North with the South, which is outside the UK and remains in the EU. | Northern Ireland also voted in favour of remain, and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, of the Sinn Fein party, has called for a referendum on reuniting the North with the South, which is outside the UK and remains in the EU. |
| But the Westminster-based Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has ruled out the call for a vote, saying there was no legal framework for it to be called. | But the Westminster-based Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers has ruled out the call for a vote, saying there was no legal framework for it to be called. |
| There is uncertainty over whether a so-called "hard border" would have to be put in place between the North and the South if the North exits the EU. | There is uncertainty over whether a so-called "hard border" would have to be put in place between the North and the South if the North exits the EU. |
| Is the Leave campaign abandoning its pledges? | Is the Leave campaign abandoning its pledges? |
| Within hours of the results, the Leave campaign was being accused of rowing back on several of its key campaign pledges. | Within hours of the results, the Leave campaign was being accused of rowing back on several of its key campaign pledges. |
| Among them, the bold claim that the UK would take back £350m donated to the EU every week and spend it on the NHS. The pledge was widely criticised during the campaign by many who pointed out that £350m is the UK's gross contribution, and that it receives vast sums of money back from the EU. | Among them, the bold claim that the UK would take back £350m donated to the EU every week and spend it on the NHS. The pledge was widely criticised during the campaign by many who pointed out that £350m is the UK's gross contribution, and that it receives vast sums of money back from the EU. |
| The Institute for Fiscal Studies calculated during the campaign that of the £360 million the UK sent to the EU weekly in 2014, the net contribution was just £109 million. | |
| Key Leave campaigners including Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Ian Duncan Smith have since distanced themselves from the £350m promise, with Mr Duncan Smith claiming it was a "possibility" rather than a pledge. | Key Leave campaigners including Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and Ian Duncan Smith have since distanced themselves from the £350m promise, with Mr Duncan Smith claiming it was a "possibility" rather than a pledge. |
| Other key campaign pledges have been called into question. Leave promised to "take back control of Britain's borders" and reduce immigration, but several key Leave campaigners have since suggested that the UK may need to accept freedom of movement in order to have access to the single market. | Other key campaign pledges have been called into question. Leave promised to "take back control of Britain's borders" and reduce immigration, but several key Leave campaigners have since suggested that the UK may need to accept freedom of movement in order to have access to the single market. |
| "A lot of things were said in advance of this referendum that we might want to think about again," said Leave campaigner and former Conservative minister Liam Fox. | "A lot of things were said in advance of this referendum that we might want to think about again," said Leave campaigner and former Conservative minister Liam Fox. |
| Is UK politics falling apart? | Is UK politics falling apart? |
| The days since the vote have produced scenes of political upheaval unprecedented in recent political history, with both the government and the opposition in turmoil. "A country renowned for its political and legal stability is descending into chaos," wrote the New York Times on Monday. | The days since the vote have produced scenes of political upheaval unprecedented in recent political history, with both the government and the opposition in turmoil. "A country renowned for its political and legal stability is descending into chaos," wrote the New York Times on Monday. |
| On Friday morning, the prime minister announced his resignation, just over a year into his second term, telling the country he would stay on until October to smooth the transition. | On Friday morning, the prime minister announced his resignation, just over a year into his second term, telling the country he would stay on until October to smooth the transition. |
| The Conservative party now has to find a new leader but it has been fiercely divided by the referendum. The front-runner is former London mayor Boris Johnson, who led the Leave campaign. Other key contenders include Home Secretary Theresa May and Chancellor George Osborne, but both were on the losing side of the Brexit vote. | The Conservative party now has to find a new leader but it has been fiercely divided by the referendum. The front-runner is former London mayor Boris Johnson, who led the Leave campaign. Other key contenders include Home Secretary Theresa May and Chancellor George Osborne, but both were on the losing side of the Brexit vote. |
| This would normally play into the hands of the Labour party, the main opposition, but Labour too finds itself in crisis. Waves of the party's shadow cabinet have resigned in the wake of the referendum, ahead of an expected vote of no-confidence in leader Jeremy Corbyn. | This would normally play into the hands of the Labour party, the main opposition, but Labour too finds itself in crisis. Waves of the party's shadow cabinet have resigned in the wake of the referendum, ahead of an expected vote of no-confidence in leader Jeremy Corbyn. |
| Many Labour MPs believe Mr Corbyn failed to mobilise Labour voters to support the Remain campaign and would fail to win a snap general election in the likely event one were to be called later this year. | Many Labour MPs believe Mr Corbyn failed to mobilise Labour voters to support the Remain campaign and would fail to win a snap general election in the likely event one were to be called later this year. |
| If the motion of no-confidence is successful there will be a vote for a new Labour leader. There is disagreement within the party about whether Mr Corbyn would automatically be entitled to a place on the ballot. | If the motion of no-confidence is successful there will be a vote for a new Labour leader. There is disagreement within the party about whether Mr Corbyn would automatically be entitled to a place on the ballot. |
| Has the Leave campaign encouraged racism? | Has the Leave campaign encouraged racism? |
| There are no official statistics, but there has been a significant number of reports on social media of racist abuse linked to the Leave win. Some high-profile incidents have been verified by police. | There are no official statistics, but there has been a significant number of reports on social media of racist abuse linked to the Leave win. Some high-profile incidents have been verified by police. |
| In Hammersmith, west London, on Sunday, suspected racist graffiti was painted on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association. | In Hammersmith, west London, on Sunday, suspected racist graffiti was painted on the front entrance of the Polish Social and Cultural Association. |
| And in Cambridgeshire, police are investigating laminated cards that were posted through letterboxes and left outside a school, which read: "Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin" in both English and Polish. | And in Cambridgeshire, police are investigating laminated cards that were posted through letterboxes and left outside a school, which read: "Leave the EU/No more Polish vermin" in both English and Polish. |
| There has been a stream of reports on social media of people hurling abuse at others they assume to be immigrants. The Leave campaign has faced accusations that it encouraged hostility towards immigrants. | There has been a stream of reports on social media of people hurling abuse at others they assume to be immigrants. The Leave campaign has faced accusations that it encouraged hostility towards immigrants. |
| What happens to immigrants already in the UK? | What happens to immigrants already in the UK? |
| EU immigrants already in the UK would probably be granted indefinite leave to remain, as the Leave campaign has not called for them to be deported, but there are no guarantees at this stage. | EU immigrants already in the UK would probably be granted indefinite leave to remain, as the Leave campaign has not called for them to be deported, but there are no guarantees at this stage. |
| Under current EU freedom of movement law, citizens are free to travel and settle in other member states. If the UK negotiates to keep freedom of movement after Brexit, EU immigrants in the UK (about 3 million) and British migrants abroad (about 1.2 million) will be unaffected. | Under current EU freedom of movement law, citizens are free to travel and settle in other member states. If the UK negotiates to keep freedom of movement after Brexit, EU immigrants in the UK (about 3 million) and British migrants abroad (about 1.2 million) will be unaffected. |
| But the UK government may find itself under significant pressure to withdraw from freedom of movement after the Leave campaign pledged to reduce European immigration. This would then probably require UK citizens to obtain a visa to work or live abroad, and the same for EU citizens wanting to settle in the UK. | But the UK government may find itself under significant pressure to withdraw from freedom of movement after the Leave campaign pledged to reduce European immigration. This would then probably require UK citizens to obtain a visa to work or live abroad, and the same for EU citizens wanting to settle in the UK. |
| Immigrants from outside of the EU are not affected by the change. | Immigrants from outside of the EU are not affected by the change. |