What Is Brexit
What is Brexit, how many people voted to leave the EU and when will Theresa May trigger Article 50?
More than 30 million people voted to decide whether the UK should leave or remain in the European Union in June 2016
BRITAIN voted to leave the European Union in June 23 last year – with Theresa May pledging to start the formal exit process by the end of the month.
The PM saw off a Tory revolt to force her to guarantee the rights of EU citizens in the UK when Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favour of Brexit.
The UK has voted to leave the European Union in a move dubbed Brexit
What is Brexit?
Put simply it is the merging of Britain and exit following the referendum vote to leave the EU.
The term has been widely used in the media ever since the idea of a referendum on the issue was put forward by those in power.
More than 30 million people voted in the referendum with a turnout of 71.8 per cent. Leave won by 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
People now talk about “soft” and “hard” Brexit in reference to how close the UK will be to the EU post separation.
There is now confirmation Britain will face a hard Brexit, as Prime Minister Theresa May announced we will leave the single market in a speech to EU ambassadors on January 17.
The road to triggering Article 50 – which will see Britain officially start the process of leaving the EU – has been paved with complications for the PM, including a Supreme Court case ruling MPs needed to vote on Brexit negotiations.
The pound slumped after the result and after Mrs May hinted it would be a hard Brexit, its value fell again.
Brits have lost some faith in those in charge of the exit and the British ambassador to the EU sensationally resigned over negotiations.
However new US President Donald Trump declared his support for Brexit and thinks it is a “great thing”.
So what is the European Union and why did Britain vote to leave?
The European Union is an economic and political partnership involving 28 European countries.
It began after the Second World War and has since grown to become a “single market” allowing goods and people to move around.
It has its own parliament and currency used by 19 countries.
Those in favour of leaving said Britain was being held back by the EU.
They said there were too many rules on business.
They also spoke about sovereignty and said they wanted Britain to take back full control of its borders.
UKIP, about half the Conservative Party’s MPs, including Boris Johnson and five members of the then Cabinet all supported Brexit.
Labour also had leading voices for Leave including MPs Gisela Stuart and Kate Hoey.
When will the UK leave the European Union?
Theresa May has announced that she will trigger Article 50 on March 29.
The Brexit Bill faced its final Parliamentary hurdle last Monday night when MPs overturned two amendments passed by the House of Lords.
Legislation, including which would guarantee the rights of EU nationals living in the UK, as well as requiring a "meaningful" parliamentary vote on the final deal obtained by the Prime Minister, is set to be passed without alteration.
The vote comes after the Supreme Court ruled the Government had to win the approval of MPs before it could invoke Article 50.
The Queen is expected to make the Brexit Bill law by giving it Royal Assent with her signature.
After triggering Article 50 it is supposed to take two years to completely leave the EU but many experts think it could take far longer.
The terms of exit have to be agreed between the UK and the 27 other member states who all have a veto over the conditions of leaving.
Article 50: What it says
1. Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.
2. A Member State which decides to withdraw shall notify the European Council of its intention. In the light of the guidelines provided by the European Council, the Union shall negotiate and conclude an agreement with that State, setting out the arrangements for its withdrawal, taking account of the framework for its future relationship with the Union. That agreement shall be negotiated in accordance with Article 218(3) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. It shall be concluded on behalf of the Union by the Council, acting by a qualified majority, after obtaining the consent of the European Parliament.
3. The Treaties shall cease to apply to the State in question from the date of entry into force of the withdrawal agreement or, failing that, two years after the notification referred to in paragraph 2, unless the European Council, in agreement with the Member State concerned, unanimously decides to extend this period.
4. For the purposes of paragraphs 2 and 3, the member of the European Council or of the Council representing the withdrawing Member State shall not participate in the discussions of the European Council or Council or in decisions concerning it. A qualified majority shall be defined in accordance with Article 238(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.
5. If a State which has withdrawn from the Union asks to rejoin, its request shall be subject to the procedure referred to in Article 49.
Why did MPs have to vote on Brexit?
Despite government arguing it has executive powers to set Brexit in motion, a Supreme Court ruling decided the matter needs to be approved by MPs.
May had hoped the outcome of the referendum would mean she could bypass Parliament when it came to invoking the bill.
But her plan went into disarray when Britain's most senior judges ruled MPs will get a vote to approve Article 50, reject it or pass it with amendments.
The government appealed the decision which was slammed as a “humiliation” for the Prime Minister.
The appeal was expedited to the country’s highest judicial body, the Supreme Court.
Lords defied the PM by adding two changes to the bill which would guarantee the rights of EU citizens and ensure Parliament has a vote on the final deal – however the Commons threw out these conditions.
The Lords backed down after the Commons vote, agreeing not to tamper with the landmark power – ordered by the Supreme Court – for a second time, ending the constitutional stand-off.
Why is Donald Trump involved in Brexit?
Donald Trump has been a vocal Brexit supporter throughout his Presidential campaign.
He compared his own unexpected win to the anti-establishment Leave campaign in the run up to the EU referendum.
Trump's support means he could be a key ally for Britain as we leave the EU.
When the President met the British Prime Minister at the White House, he told her: "Brexit is going to be a wonderful thing for your country."
His support suggests the "special relationship" between the UK and US will continue after Brexit - and gives hope for trade deals.
Does Theresa May want to leave the European Union?
May – like Cameron – was against leaving the EU but she vowed to respect the will of the people.
She has said "Brexit means Brexit" but there is still a lot of debate about what that will mean in practice.
The Brexit vote merely signalled the British public's wish to leave the EU but did not in itself actually set the process in motion - that only begins when Article 50 of The Treaty of Lisbon is triggered.
What Is Article 50?
It set out a number of rules and posts including the introduction of the EU Presidency, redistribution of voting weights of member states and Article 50.Article 50 states: “Any Member State may decide to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.”It then goes on to say that a state wishing to withdraw will let the European Council know it intends to leave which will “trigger” the article.At this point the Treaties that bound Britain to EU rules cease to apply and the terms of leaving will begin to be negotiated
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