Did you Brexit?

The decision was made by a referendum held on June 23, 2016, in which 51.9% of the participating voters favored leaving the EU, while 48.1% voted to remain. The UK officially left the EU on January 31, 2020, after a lengthy negotiation process.

The main reasons cited by supporters of Brexit included the desire for the UK to have greater control over its own laws, borders, and economy, and a belief that EU membership was a burden on the UK's economy. Opponents argued that leaving the EU would cause significant economic disruption, threaten the peace process in Northern Ireland, and undermine the UK's position as a global leader.

Since the UK's departure from the EU, there have been a number of significant changes. One of the most notable is the end of the free movement of people between the UK and the EU. UK citizens now require visas to work or travel in the EU, and EU citizens require visas to work or travel in the UK.

Trade relations between the UK and the EU have been significantly impacted. The UK is no longer part of the EU's single market or customs union, meaning that new trade barriers have been erected between the two entities. The UK has negotiated new trade deals with some countries outside the EU, but there are concerns that the country's overall trade position has been weakened by Brexit.

Brexit has also raised a number of political issues in the UK. Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to remain in the EU, and there have been calls for both regions to hold independence referendums in order to rejoin the EU. The Brexit process also highlighted deep divisions within the UK, with significant tensions between different regions and between different political groups.

Brexit is a complex and controversial issue that will continue to shape the UK's political, economic, and social landscape for years to come. The full impact of Brexit remains to be seen, but it is clear that the UK's relationship with the EU and the rest of the world has been fundamentally altered.