Brexit Facts & Worksheets

Brexit was the departure of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020, at 23:00 GMT (00:00  February 1, 2020, CET). The United Kingdom is the only sovereign country that has quit the EU. Since January 1, 1973, the United Kingdom has been a member of the EU or its precursor, the European Communities (EC), occasionally simultaneously.

See the fact file below for more information about Brexit, or you can download our 40-page Brexit worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

TIMELINE

• Following the referendum outcome on June 23, 2016, a slew of new Brexit-related vocabulary entered the mainstream. The Collins English Dictionary named “Brexit” Word of the Year in 2016. Since its inception, the EU and its institutions have evolved progressively. Eurosceptic organizations opposed features of the EU and its predecessors throughout Britain’s membership. 
• Prime Minister David Cameron quit on June 23, 2016, following a UK-wide referendum in which 51.89 percent opted to leave the EU, and 48.11 percent chose to remain a member. The new British government, led by Theresa May, formally informed the EU of the country’s decision to quit on March 29, 2017, kicking off the Brexit discussions. The withdrawal, initially slated on March 29, 2019, was postponed due to a parliamentary impasse following the June 2017 general election. It culminated in a hung parliament in which the Conservatives lost their majority but retained the largest party. This impasse resulted in three delays to the UK’s Article 50 procedure.
• The impasse was broken following a second general election in December 2019. Conservatives who campaigned for a “revised” departure deal led by Boris Johnson gained an overall majority of 80 seats in that election. The British parliament eventually adopted the departure deal with the European Union (departure deal) Act 2020 following the December 2019 election.
• Throughout the transition period, the United Kingdom remained under EU legislation and a member of the European Union Customs Union and the European Single Market. It was, however, no longer a member of the EU’s political bodies or institutions. 
• Hard Eurosceptics supported the withdrawal, while pro-Europeanists and mild Eurosceptics opposed it, with both sides of the debate across the political spectrum. The United Kingdom (UK) entered the European Communities (EC), namely the European Economic Community (EEC), in 1973, and its continuous membership was approved in a referendum in 1975. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron staged this referendum in 2016 after pledging to hold a second membership vote if his administration was elected. Cameron, who had advocated for Brexit, resigned following the outcome and was succeeded by Theresa May.
• On December 12, an early general election was conducted. In that election, the Conservatives obtained a substantial majority, and Johnson said that the UK would exit the EU in early 2020. The UK approved the Brexit agreement on January 23 and the EU on January 30; it entered into force on January 31, 2020.

THE UNITED KINGDOM & EC/EU MEMBERSHIP

• The Treaty of Paris, signed by the “Inner Six” European countries in 1951, established the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC).
• The ECSC was regarded as a success by the 1955 Messina Conference, which voted to expand the concept further, resulting in the 1957 Treaties of Rome creating the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) as well as the European Economic Community (EEC).
• The United Kingdom sought to join in 1963 and 1967, but both applications were rejected by French President Charles de Gaulle, who thought the UK would be a Trojan horse for US dominance. After de Gaulle resigned in 1969, the United Kingdom successfully requested membership in the European Communities (EC). 
• Membership in the EEC was carefully debated in the House of Commons during a lengthy discussion in October 1971. According to historian Piers Ludlow, the 1971 parliamentary discussion was excellent and addressed all problems. 
• The Treaty of Accession was signed in 1972 by Conservative Prime Minister Edward Heath. Later that year, Parliament enacted the European Communities Act, and the United Kingdom followed Denmark and the Republic of Ireland in becoming members on January 1, 1973, without a referendum.

THE REFERENDUM OF 2016

Negotiations for Membership Reform

• Prime Minister David Cameron first dismissed calls for a referendum on the United Kingdom’s EU membership in 2012 but then suggested the possibility of a future vote to back his planned renegotiation of the United Kingdom’s relationship with the rest of the EU. 
• Cameron assured in his Bloomberg speech on January 23,  2013, amid opposition from many of his MPs and the rise of UKIP, that if appointed in the May 2015 general election, a conservative government would hold an in-or-out referendum on EU membership on a renegotiated package by the end of 2017. This was part of the Conservative Party’s electoral platform. The Conservative Party easily won the election. 
• The European Union Referendum Act 2015 was put into Parliament shortly after to facilitate the referendum. Cameron backed remaining in a reformed EU and tried to renegotiate four major points: non-eurozone nations’ access to the single market, removal of “red tape,” exemption from “ever-closer union,” and restrictions on immigration from the rest of the EU. In December 2015, opinion surveys revealed a significant majority in favor of remaining in the EU. Still, they also said that support would dwindle if Cameron failed to secure suitable protections for non-eurozone member states and curbs on benefits for non-UK EU nationals.
• Cameron declared a referendum date of June 23, 2016, and remarked on the renegotiation deal in a speech to the House of Commons on February 22, 2016. He stated that the government intended to initiate the Article 50 process immediately following a Leave vote and that there would be a “two-year time period to negotiate the arrangements for the exit.” 
• After the government decided to amend its official referendum question to “Should the United Kingdom continue to be a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?” after the first format for the referendum question was questioned.
• In the referendum, 51.89% opted to leave the EU (Leave), while 48.11% chose to remain a member of the EU (Remain). Following this result, Cameron resigned on July 13, 2016, with Theresa May becoming Prime Minister following a leadership election. A petition calling for a second vote garnered over four million signatures, but the administration rejected it on July 9.

Voter Demographics and Trends

• According to a 2017 research published in Economic Policy, the Leave vote was higher in places with lower incomes and significant unemployment, a long heritage of manufacturing employment, and a population with fewer credentials. 
• Lower social classes (particularly the working class) were likelier to vote Leave, whereas higher social classes (particularly the upper middle class) were likelier to vote Remain. According to studies, the Leave vote was more significant in places plagued by the economic downturn, high rates of suicide and drug-related mortality, and austerity changes implemented in 2010. 

POST-REFERENDUM INVESTIGATIONS

• Following the referendum, the Electoral Commission probed many anomalies in campaign expenditures and levied numerous fines. Leave.EU was the major campaign group for the “Leave” vote in February 2017. The EU was fined £50,000 for delivering unsolicited commercial communications. The Electoral Commission fined Leave.EU £70,000 in May 2018 for illegally overpaying and incorrectly reporting loans totaling £6 million by Arron Banks. For misleading reporting, the pro-EU campaign organization Best for Our Future and two trade union contributors were fined less. 
• Vote Leave was fined £61,000 in July 2018 for overspending, failing to declare cash shared with BeLeave, and failing to cooperate with investigators. In November 2017, the Electoral Commission opened an investigation following allegations that Russia used social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to affect public opinion in the referendum. 

WITHDRAWAL PROCESS

• The Article 50 of the Agreement on European Union governs withdrawal from the European Union. Lord Kerr of Kinlochard wrote it, and it was included in the Treaty of Lisbon, which went into effect in 2009. According to the article, any member state may withdraw “in accordance with its constitutional requirements” by notifying the European Council of its desire to do so.
• The notification starts a two-year negotiation phase during which the EU must “negotiate and finalize an agreement with [the leaving] State, setting out the conditions for its withdrawal while taking into account the framework for the future partnership with the European Union.” 
• If no agreement is achieved within two years, membership will be terminated unless an extension is unanimously decided upon by all EU states, including the departing state. The agreement must be adopted by a qualified majority in the European Council and the European Parliament on the EU side.

Invocation of Article 50

• The 2015 Vote Act did not directly necessitate the invocation of Article 50, but the British government stated before the vote that it would accept the outcome. When Cameron resigned following the vote, he noted that the future prime minister would be responsible for invoking Article 50.
• Theresa May, the incoming Prime Minister, stated that she would wait until 2017 to trigger the clause in order to prepare for the discussions. 
• She stated in October 2016 that Britain would invoke Article 50 in March 2017, and in December, she received approval from MPs for her schedule. The United Kingdom Supreme Court headed in the Miller case in January 2017 that the government could only invoke Article 50 if permitted by an act of parliament. 
• On March 29, Theresa May triggered Article 50 when Tim Barrow, the British ambassador to the EU, handed the invocation letter to European Council President Donald Tusk. As a result, the UK was likely to exit the EU on March 29, 2019.

2017 UK GENERAL ELECTION

• Theresa May called a snap general election in April 2017 to “strengthen [her] hand” in the Brexit negotiations; the Conservative Party, Labour, and UKIP all made manifesto pledges to carry out the referendum, with the Labour manifesto varying in its strategy for Brexit negotiations, such as unilaterally providing permanent residence to EU immigrants. The manifestos of the Liberal Democrats and the Greens supported a policy of remaining in the EU by a second vote. 
• Before the discussions, May declared that the UK would not seek a long-term membership in the EU, would end ECJ jurisdiction, would seek an improved trade deal, would halt the free movement of people, and would maintain the Common Travel Area with Ireland. 
• The member states would demand that the UK pay a “divorce bill” in the first phase, initially estimated at £52 billion. EU negotiators stated that a deal between the UK and the EU must be struck by October 2018. The talks began on June 19, 2017.Three negotiation groups were formed: one for the rights of EU residents living in the UK, one for the UK’s outstanding monetary obligations to the EU, and one for the Northern Ireland-Republic of Ireland border. The idea aimed to maintain Britain’s access to the single market for products but not necessarily services while allowing for an autonomous trade strategy. Cabinet resignations resulted from the proposal, including those of Brexit Secretary David Davis and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.

MAY’S AGREEMENT AND FAILED RATIFICATION

• On November 13, 2018, UK and EU negotiators settled on the language of a draft withdrawal agreement. May obtained Cabinet approval the next day, despite Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab resigning due to “fatal flaws” in the accord. The deal was ratified by all 27 presidents of the remaining EU nations on November 25. The Prime Minister postponed the House of Commons vote on her Brexit plan on December 10, 2018. This happened only minutes after the Prime Minister’s Office announced the vote would take place.
• On the same day, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) declared that the UK may unilaterally rescind its departure notification if it was still a member and had not reached an agreement on a divorce deal.
• The House of Commons voted 432 to 202 against the deal on January 15, 2019, the greatest majority ever against a United Kingdom administration. The Speaker advised the House of Commons on March 18, 2019, that a third meaningful vote could only be taken on a resolution materially different from the prior one, citing legislative traditions dating back to 1604. On March 29, the Withdrawal Agreement was returned to the House without the associated understanding. The Government’s motion to accept the Withdrawal Agreement was lost by 344 votes to 286 votes, a loss of 58 votes from when the agreement was tabled on March 12.

2019 UK GENERAL ELECTION

• After failing to persuade Parliament to endorse a revised version of the exit deal before the end of October, Johnson decided to call a snap election. Because three motions for an early general election pursuant to the Fixed-term Parliament Act 2011 fell short of achieving the required two-thirds supermajority. 
• Boris Johnson won a significant victory in the election, with the Conservatives obtaining 365 seats (gaining 47 seats) and an overall majority of 80 seats, while Labour suffered its worst election setback since 1935, losing 60 seats to leave.
• The Liberal Democrats received only 11 seats, with leader Jo Swinson losing her seat. After capturing 14 seats in Scotland, the Scottish National Party gained 48 seats. The outcome broke the impasse in the UK Parliament, ruled out the prospect of a referendum on the departure deal, and assured that the UK would leave the European Union on January 31, 2020.

TRANSITION PERIOD AND FINAL TRADE AGREEMENT

• Following the UK’s withdrawal on January 31, 2020, the country started a Transition Period for the remainder of 2020. During this time, trade, travel, and liberty of movement remained substantially unaltered. David Frost and Michel Barnier continued to negotiate a lasting trade deal throughout the transition phase. Both sides declared a settlement struck on December 24, 2020. The agreement was approved by both chambers of the British parliament on December 30 and received Royal Assent the next day.
• The European Parliament postponed setting a deadline for ratifying the accord after the United Kingdom stated it would unilaterally prolong a grace period restricting trade inspections between Northern Ireland and the United Kingdom. The vote was eventually rescheduled for April 27 and approved with a massive majority of votes. Following allegations that border infrastructure was not prepared, the UK government delayed import inspections from the EU to the UK until the end of the year in order to prevent supply difficulties during the Covid crisis.

EUROPEAN UNION (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018

• Theresa May pledged in October 2016 a “Great Repeal Bill” that would abolish the European Communities Act 1972 and reassert all legislation previously in force under EU law in British law. It was then renamed the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill and brought into the House of Commons on July 13, 2017.
• The Withdrawal Act set a deadline of 21 January, 2019, for the government to decide how to move forward if the negotiations failed to reach an agreement in principle on both the withdrawal agreements and the structure for the UK and EU’s future relationship or making future ratification of the withdrawal agreement as a legal document between the UK and EU contingent on the prior enactment of another act of Parliament approving the final terms of the withdrawal agreement.
• The Withdrawal Act, which went into effect in June 2018, provided for a variety of outcomes, including no negotiated settlement. It permits the government to put into force, by an order issued under section 25, the provisions that determined “exit day” and the repetition of the European Communities Act 1972, but departure day must be the same day and time that the EU Treaties ceased to apply to the UK.

Additional Government Bills

• The Institute for Government stated in a March 2017 research that, in addition to the European Union (Withdrawal) bill, both primary and secondary legislation will be required to fill gaps in policy sectors such as customs, immigration, and agriculture.
• The paper also stated that the role of the local legislatures was unclear and may pose issues and that up to 15 new Brexit Bills could be necessary, requiring tight prioritizing and restricting Parliamentary time for an in-depth consideration of new legislation. The House of Lords produced a series of reports on Brexit-related topics in 2016 and 2017, including:
  • Brexit: Trade Alternatives
  • Brexit: The UK-Irish relationship
  • Brexit: Potential UK-EU security and law enforcement cooperation
  • Brexit: The fishing industry
  • Brexit: Environmental impact and climate change
  • Brexit: The Crown Dependents 
  • Brexit: Justice for Individuals, Families, and Businesses
  • Brexit: Non-financial services trade

IMPACT AND EFFECTS

• Many of the consequences of Brexit hinged on whether the UK departed with or without a divorce agreement (“no deal” Brexit). According to the Financial Times, the UK would no longer be a party to around 759 international accords encompassing 168 non-EU nations after exiting the EU.

Economic Effects

• Economists predicted that Brexit would have a negative immediate and long-term impact on the economy of the United Kingdom and at least a portion of the EU27. 
• In particular, academics and the economic literature agreed that Brexit would likely diminish the UK’s real per capita income in the medium and long term and that the referendum would harm the economy.
• According to a 2019 study, British corporations significantly boosted offshore to the EU following the Brexit referendum, whereas European firms curtailed new investments in the UK. According to the British government’s own Brexit estimate, leaked in January 2018, British economic growth will be slowed by 2-8% over the next 15 years, depending on the departure scenario.
• Economists cautioned that passport arrangements with the EU were critical to London’s viability as an international financial hub. Trade and migration deals with the “CANZUK” countries comprising Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom have been advocated for by pro-Brexit activists and politicians. Nonetheless, analysts believe that trade agreements with such nations would be significantly less advantageous to the UK than EU membership. According to studies, Brexit would aggravate regional economic disparity in the UK, disproportionately affecting already-struggling regions.
• Local and geographic effects on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have been a source of contention. The boundary has been almost invisible since 2005. Following Brexit, it became the only land border between the UK and the EU (apart from land borders between EU states, Spain, Cyprus, and British Overseas Areas).
• Northern Ireland is legally outside the EU single market under the Protocol, but EU free movement of goods and EU Customs Union laws continue to apply; this guarantees no customs inspections or restrictions between Northern Ireland and the rest of the island. To the chagrin of prominent Unionists, the agreement has created a de facto customs “Irish Sea Border” for goods from (but not to) Great Britain in place of a land border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. The French and British governments have stated their continued support for the Le Touquet Agreement, which allows UK border checks to be done in France and vice versa.
• In January 2018, the two countries signed the Sandhurst Treaty, which would reduce the time it takes to process migrants seeking to enter the UK through Calais from six months to three months. 
• The UK has announced an additional £44.5 million investment in border security along the English Channel.

Effects on the European Union

• The European Union has lost its second-largest economy, third-most populated country, and second-largest net contributor to the EU budget due to Brexit. The United Kingdom is no longer a stakeholder in the European Investment Bank, where it formerly held 16% of the shares. 
• The Board of Governors of the European Investment Bank resolved that the remaining member countries would boost their capital subscriptions equally to maintain the same total subscribed capital (EUR 243.3 billion). Following the decision of two member nations (Poland and Romania) to expand their capital subscription, the EIB’s subscribed capital had grown by an extra EUR 5.5 billion as of March 2020. AAA credit rating for the EIB group. 
• According to analyses, the departure of the highly economically liberal United Kingdom would decrease the power of the remaining financially liberal nations to veto legislation in the EU Council. The European Medicines Agency and the European Banking Authority relocated their headquarters from London to Amsterdam and Paris, respectively, in 2019, ahead of Brexit.

Sectoral Effects

• The United Kingdom has departed the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which offers government financial assistance to farmers in the European Union. 
• Brexit enabled the United Kingdom to design its agricultural policy, and the Agricultural Act 2020 replaced the Common Agricultural Policy with a new framework. The UK also left the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP), which allows all EU nations to fish within 12 nautical miles of the British coast and gives the EU the authority to establish catch quotas. 
• By exiting the CFP, the UK designed its own fisheries strategy. The UK also left the London Fisheries Convention, which allows vessels from Ireland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany to fish within six nautical miles of the UK’s coast. 
• According to an early 2019 research, Brexit would decrease the NHS staff, raise uncertainty about treatment for British nationals living in the EU, and jeopardize access to vaccinations, equipment, and medications. The Department of Health and Social Care has said that procedures have been made to ensure the continuity of medical supplies following Brexit.
• Following Brexit, EU rules will no longer take precedence over British laws, according to the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. To provide continuity, the Act translates EU law as “retained EU law” into British law. Brexit has been generally viewed as a factor contributing to the 2021 United Kingdom’s natural gas distributor crisis, which led to a major disruption of road fuel supplies across the UK, increasing the UK’s scarcity of HGV drivers. The Road Haulage Association anticipated in a July 2021 research that the UK will experience a shortfall of up to 100,000 truck drivers.

Brexit Worksheets

This fantastic bundle includes everything you need to know about Brexit across 40 in-depth pages. These ready-to-use worksheets are perfect for teaching kids about Brexit. Brexit was the departure of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) on January 31, 2020, at 23:00 GMT (00:00  February 1, 2020, CET).

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

1. Brexit Facts
2. Mark these Dates!
3. Legal Terms
4. Your Vote Counts
5. Biography Check
6. What’s in the Brexit Deal?
7. V.I.P Check
8. Have Your Say!
9. The Withdrawal Process
10. Pay Attention to the Bills
11. Before You BrEXIT

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Brexit?

Brexit is a portmanteau of “Britain” and “exit.” It refers to the United Kingdom’s decision to leave the European Union (EU). The UK voted in a 2016 referendum to exit the EU, and this process was formally completed on January 31, 2020, when the UK officially left the EU.

Why did the UK vote to leave the EU?

The decision to leave the EU was influenced by various factors, including concerns about immigration, sovereignty, and the desire for greater control over domestic policies. Many “Leave” campaigners argued that leaving the EU would allow the UK to regain control of its borders and make independent trade agreements.

What is the impact of Brexit on trade?

Brexit has led to changes in trade between the UK and the EU. The UK is no longer part of the EU’s single market and customs union, which has resulted in increased border checks and trade barriers. Businesses have had to adapt to new customs procedures, and some industries have faced disruptions in their supply chains.

Did Brexit lead to a border in Northern Ireland?

Yes, Brexit resulted in a customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK. This arrangement, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, was designed to prevent a hard border between Northern Ireland (part of the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (an EU member). It has been a contentious issue in the Brexit process.

What are the long-term consequences of Brexit?

The long-term consequences of Brexit are still unfolding. Some potential effects include changes in trade patterns, economic impacts, and shifts in the UK’s relationships with other countries. It has also led to discussions about the future of the UK itself, particularly regarding Scotland’s desire for independence.

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