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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
(14 days later)
The UK is no longer a member of the European Union (EU), but that's not the end of the Brexit story. The UK is no longer a member of the European Union (EU), but that's not the end of Brexit.
UK and EU officials have been spending the summer trying to agree what the future relationship will be. UK and EU officials are trying to agree how their future relationship will work.
Why is Brexit still being talked about?Why is Brexit still being talked about?
Even though Brexit happened more than six months ago, both sides still need to work out the rules for their new relationship. Even though Brexit happened on 31 January 2020, both sides still need to work out the rules for their new relationship. This includes everything from trade, immigration, aviation, security and access to fishing waters.
This includes everything from trade, immigration, aviation, security and access to fishing waters. These rules have to be negotiated and signed off by the EU and UK Parliaments by the end of the year.
This has to be negotiated and signed off by the EU and UK Parliaments by the end of the year. Prime Minister Boris Johnson says an agreement on trade must be done by 15 October - if the new relationship is going to be ready in time.
Immediately after Brexit day - on 31 January - the UK went into a transition period with the EU. This was to give both sides breathing space to agree the new arrangements. But didn't the UK already leave the EU with a deal?
During transition the UK is still following EU rules and trading in the same way as before. However, the UK is no longer part of the EU's political institutions - so there are now no British MEPs in the European Parliament. Yes, the UK did leave the EU on 31 January 2020 with a deal called the withdrawal agreement.
This transition period will last until 31 December 2020, when the new EU-UK relationship will begin. The deadline for extending the transition has now passed. However, this deal only set out the process of how the UK would leave the EU, not the future relationship. It covered areas like:
What if there is no trade deal by 31 December? Negotiations on the future UK-EU relationship were always intended to be held after Brexit day and during the transition period.
When the transition period ends, the UK will automatically drop out of the EU's main trading arrangements - the single market and the customs union. The transition is an 11-month phase which started immediately after Brexit day. It was designed to give both sides breathing space to negotiate their future relationship.
The single market means that countries share the same rules on product standards and access to services, whereas the customs union is an agreement between EU countries not to charge taxes on each other's goods. During this time, the UK still follows EU rules and trade between the two is the same as before.
If a new trade deal is not ready to replace these arrangements, then tariffs (taxes) and full border checks would be applied to UK goods travelling to the EU. Tariffs would make UK goods more expensive and harder to sell in the EU, while full border checks could cause long delays at ports. The transition period ends on 31 December 2020 and the deadline for extending it has now passed.
What happens if there's no trade deal by 31 December?
When transition ends, the UK will automatically drop out of the EU's main trading arrangements (the single market and the customs union).
The single market means that countries share the same rules on product standards and access to services, whereas the customs union is an agreement between EU countries not to charge taxes (tariffs) on each other's goods.
If a new trade deal is not ready then tariffs and border checks would be applied to UK goods travelling to the EU. The UK could also do this to EU goods, if it chose to.
Tariffs would make UK goods more expensive and harder to sell in the EU, while full border checks could cause long delays at ports.
Failure to reach a deal would also result in the UK service industry losing its guaranteed access to the EU. This would affect everyone from bankers and lawyers, to musicians and chefs.Failure to reach a deal would also result in the UK service industry losing its guaranteed access to the EU. This would affect everyone from bankers and lawyers, to musicians and chefs.
Any UK-EU trade deal would aim to cover both goods and services. However, even if a trade deal is reached before the end of the year, it won't eliminate all checks - so UK businesses will need to prepare. Even if a trade deal is reached, it would not eliminate all checks - so UK businesses will need to prepare.
But didn't the UK leave the EU with a deal? If there was no agreement in place, then trade with the EU would automatically fall back on basic World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.
Throughout the UK's 2019 election campaign, Prime Minister Boris Johnson talked about having an "oven-ready" Brexit deal. As well as trade, other aspects of the future relationship - such as immigration rules, fishing access and security cooperation - also need to be signed off. If not, then no-deal plans will be required in these areas for 1 January 2021 onwards.
At the time, the UK had only negotiated the withdrawal agreement - the Brexit deal which set out the process of how the UK would leave. The terms of the future relationship were always intended to be negotiated after Brexit day itself. What about the Irish border?
Had the UK left the EU without a withdrawal agreement there would have been no transition period and no time to negotiate the new relationship - known as a no-deal Brexit.
However, if any aspects of the UK-EU future relationship are not ready by the end of the transition (such as trade, fishing or security) then no-deal contingency plans will be required.
Why did Brexit take so long?
Brexit was originally meant to happen on 29 March 2019. However, finding a way to avoid checks along the Irish border became one of the major sticking points.Brexit was originally meant to happen on 29 March 2019. However, finding a way to avoid checks along the Irish border became one of the major sticking points.
Theresa May, the prime minister at the time, came up with an arrangement known as the Irish "backstop". If it had been needed, the backstop would have kept the UK in a very close relationship with the EU so that checks would not have been necessary. Theresa May, the prime minister at the time, came up with an arrangement known as the Irish "backstop".
However, the backstop proved unacceptable to many Conservative MPs who feared the UK would be trapped in it indefinitely. However, it proved unacceptable to many Conservative MPs who feared it would keep the UK closely-tied to the EU.
After MPs rejected Mrs May's deal, the Brexit deadline had to be delayed twice.After MPs rejected Mrs May's deal, the Brexit deadline had to be delayed twice.
Mrs May then resigned as PM on 24 July 2019 after MPs voted down the deal for a third time.Mrs May then resigned as PM on 24 July 2019 after MPs voted down the deal for a third time.
Mr Johnson - who replaced Mrs May - set about making changes to the Brexit deal. Mr Johnson scrapped the Irish backstop and replaced it with new custom arrangements between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Mr Johnson - who replaced Mrs May - scrapped the Irish backstop and replaced it with the Northern Ireland (NI) protocol.
The new arrangement will mean some goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain will be subject to checks and will have to pay EU taxes. These would be refunded if goods remain in Northern Ireland (ie are not moved to the Republic of Ireland). Under the NI protocol, Northern Ireland will continue to follow some EU rules in order to avoid checks along the Irish border after the transition period ends.
After securing these changes to the Brexit deal, Mr Johnson then called an early general election, which MPs agreed to. However, the arrangement will mean that some goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain will be subject to checks instead. The precise nature of these checks is still being negotiated.
After securing these changes to the Brexit deal, Mr Johnson called an early general election, which MPs agreed to.
The election, which happened on 12 December 2019, resulted in a Conservative majority of 80.The election, which happened on 12 December 2019, resulted in a Conservative majority of 80.
With a sizeable majority in Parliament, it proved straightforward to pass the Brexit legislation, allowing the UK to leave the EU nearly four years after the referendum first took place.With a sizeable majority in Parliament, it proved straightforward to pass the Brexit legislation, allowing the UK to leave the EU nearly four years after the referendum first took place.