Brexit - Conservative Handling of Brexit

In a referendum on 23 June 2016, 51.9% of the participating UK electorate voted to leave the EU, out of a turnout of 72.2%. On 29 March 2017, the UK government invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on the European Union. The UK is thus due to leave the EU at midnight on 29 March 2019 Central European Time (11 pm on 29 March 2019 GMT)

The transitional period will last from Brexit day on 29 March 2019 to 31 December 2020 under the following terms:
 * EU citizens arriving in the UK between these two dates will enjoy the same rights and guarantees as those who arrive before Brexit. The same will apply to UK citizens on the continent
 * The UK will be able to negotiate, sign and ratify its own trade deals during the transition period
 * The UK will still be party to existing EU trade deals with other countries
 * The UK's share of fishing catch will be guaranteed during transition but the UK will effectively remain part of the Common Fisheries Policy, yet without a direct say in its rules, until the end of 2020
 * Northern Ireland will effectively stay in parts of the single market and the customs union in the absence of other solutions to avoid a hard border with the Republic of Ireland

This page does not attempt to cover the rights and wrongs of leaving the EU, only to draw attention to how badly the Conservative government has handled the whole process and by doing so, further damaged the livelihoods of the British people. It also doesn't blame the present poverty and social problems on Brexit. These events were already happening before Brexit and would have continued should the UK have voted to remain. Whether we'll get poorer faster can be debated, but certainly the Tory management of the process can only worsen the country's outlook.

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