What's new

The UK has left the European Union

I wouldn't be surprised if some EU nations show their annoyance by announcing a visa policy vis a vis Britain.
I won't be surprised if announce Visa policies, I mean a lot of people voted on the grounds of "immigration" and I'm guessing the government will now act on that.

Sad to see us leave the EU.
 
I won't be surprised if announce Visa policies, I mean a lot of people voted on the grounds of "immigration" and I'm guessing the government will now act on that.

Sad to see us leave the EU.
what I want to know how well the alternative will pan out in trade across the atlantic. I am certain people here in Britain will kick themselves in a few years.
 
The UK has officially left the European Union after 47 years of membership - and more than three years after it voted to do so in a referendum.

The historic moment, which happened at 23:00 GMT, was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests.

Candlelit vigils were held in Scotland, which voted to stay in the EU, while Brexiteers partied in London's Parliament Square.

Boris Johnson has vowed to bring the country together and "take us forward".

In a message released on social media an hour before the UK's departure, the prime minister said: "For many people this is an astonishing moment of hope, a moment they thought would never come.

"And there are many of course who feel a sense of anxiety and loss."

He said some had worried the political "wrangle" would not end but it was his job to take the country forward.

How did the UK mark the moment?
_110729917_237093b8-4dac-43f8-b2a5-a8445361a574.jpg
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image captionBrexit supporters held a party in Parliament Square
Brexit parties were held in pubs and social clubs across the UK as the country counted down to its official departure.

Hundreds gathered in Parliament Square to celebrate Brexit, singing patriotic songs and cheering speeches from leading Brexiteers, including Nigel Farage.

The Brexit Party leader said: "Let us celebrate tonight as we have never done before.

"This is the greatest moment in the modern history of our great nation."

Pro-EU demonstrators earlier staged a march in Whitehall to bid a "fond farewell" to the union - and anti-Brexit rallies and candlelit vigils were held in Scotland.

Other symbolic moments on a day of mixed emotions included:

  • The Union flag being removed from the European Union institutions in Brussels
  • The Cabinet meeting in Sunderland, the first city to declare in favour of Brexit when the 2016 results were announced
  • A light show illuminating 10 Downing Street and Union flags lining The Mall
  • A 50p coin to mark the occasion entering circulation
  • The building of the UK government's delegation to the EU changed its name and sign
_110732701_de47.jpg

Image captionThe government's EU delegation has changed its name from "representation" to "mission"
_110728252_28ec6da5-2da2-4a1c-8d34-4ed41f2dde31.jpg
Image copyrightPA MEDIA
Image captionA pro-EU group earlier projected a message onto the White Cliffs of Dover
In Northern Ireland, the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit staged a series of protests in Armagh, near to the border with the Irish Republic.

The Irish border - now the UK's land border with the EU - was a major sticking point in the Brexit divorce talks.

NI and the Irish Republic "will continue to remain neighbours", said NI First Minister Arlene Foster on RTÉ on Friday.

At 23:00 GMT, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeted a picture of the EU flag, adding: "Scotland will return to the heart of Europe as an independent country - #LeaveALightOnForScotland".

Ms Sturgeon is calling for a new referendum on Scottish independence, arguing that Brexit is a "material change in circumstances".

Speaking in Cardiff, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford said Wales, which voted to leave the EU, remained a "European nation".

Labour MP Hilary Benn, who chairs the Brexit select committee and backed Remain, said he was "sad last night... but we have to accept it".

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme the UK was always a "reluctant" EU nation, adding: "We joined late and we left early."

_110725124_6ec4ccf7-81ef-4a7e-b3e6-46427b37c10b.jpg
Image copyrightPA MEDIA
Image captionPro-EU campaigners take part in a "Missing EU Already" rally outside the Scottish Parliament
_105894347_grey_line-nc.png


What now? It's happened.

A dreary night didn't discourage those celebrating in Parliament Square. We wake this morning out of the European Union. But we follow their rules until the end of the year, without a say.

We are separate after more than 40 years, but remember much of the status quo will hold for now - the UK and the EU, the awkward couple, finally divorced - but still sharing a house and the bills.

But what the prime minister hails as a new era, a bright new dawn, starts months of hard bargaining with our neighbours across the Channel.

The UK's requests: a free trade agreement, cooperation on security, and new arrangements for fishing are just some of the vital arguments that lie ahead.

Read more from Laura here.

_105894347_grey_line-nc.png

What happens now?
UK citizens will notice few immediate changes now that the country is no longer in the European Union.

Most EU laws will continue to be in force - including the free movement of people - until 31 December, when the transition period comes to an end.

The UK is aiming to sign a permanent free trade agreement with the EU, along the lines of the one the EU has with Canada.

But European leaders have warned that the UK faces a tough battle to get a deal by that deadline.

Former Brexit Secretary David Davis said agreeing a trade deal was "not a charitable exercise, this is an exercise of both sides recognising their own best interests".

"From today, we are their [the EU's] biggest export market," he told the Today programme.

What's the reaction in Europe?
_110728250_6bdc79da-ee97-4e92-9ee4-47e1885dfb97.jpg
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image captionOfficials remove the British flag at European Union Council in Brussels
In an open letter to the British people, French President Emmanuel Macron said he was "deeply sad" but: "The channel has never managed to separate our destinies; Brexit will not do so, either."

He also defended the way France acted in the negotiations, saying neither the French nor anyone else in the EU was "driven by a desire for revenge or punishment".

Meanwhile, the European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said he would "look after your star and work to ensure the EU is a project you'll want to be a part of again soon".

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said Britain and Brussels will fight for their interests in trade talks.

She paid tribute to UK citizens who had "contributed to the European Union and made it stronger" and said the UK's final day in the EU was "emotional".
_98950366_presentational_grey_line464-nc.jpg


Whilst never the most enthusiastic member, the UK was part of the European project for almost half a century.

On a personal level, EU leaders tell me they'll miss having the British sense of humour and no-nonsense attitude at their table.

If they were to be brutally honest they'd have admitted they'll mourn the loss of our not-insignificant contribution to the EU budget too.

But now we've left the "European family" (as Brussels insiders sometimes like to call the EU) and as trade talks begin, how long will it take for warm words to turn into gritted teeth?

Read more from Katya here.

_98950366_presentational_grey_line464-nc.jpg

European Council President Charles Michel warned: "The more the UK will diverge from the EU standards, the less access to the single market it will have."

Mairead McGuinness, the vice president of the European Parliament, said she fears progress to agree a trade deal - which Mr Johnson hopes to secure by December 2021 - "might be left to the very last minute".

"Normally in trade negotiations we're trying to come together," she said. "For the first time we're going try and negotiate a trade agreement where somebody wants to pull away from us. I can't get my head around that and I think it's going to be quite complicated."

What about the US?
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo said he was "pleased" the UK and EU had agreed a Brexit deal and the US would continue to build its "strong, productive, and prosperous relationship with the UK".

Washington's ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, said Brexit had been "long supported" by President Donald Trump.

How did we get here?
p081y47t.jpg


Media captionBrexit: The last four years in under two minutes
Britain joined what was then European Economic Community on 1 January, 1973, at the third attempt. Two years later the country voted by an overwhelming majority to remain in the bloc in the first nationwide referendum.

Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron held another referendum in June 2016, amid growing pressure from his own MPs and Nigel Farage's UK Independence Party.

Mr Cameron led the campaign to stay in the EU but lost by the narrow margin of 52% to 48% to the Leave campaign, fronted by fellow Conservative Boris Johnson.

Mr Cameron's successor as prime minister, Theresa May, repeatedly failed to get her version of an EU withdrawal agreement passed by Parliament and was replaced by Mr Johnson, who also failed to get his plans through.

Mr Johnson managed to secure an early general election in December last year, which he won with an 80-seat majority on a promise to "get Brexit done".

The PM's EU withdrawal deal was approved by MPs just before Christmas, and the bill became law earlier this year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51333314
EU will be better performing now. Thanks UK for admitting.
 
what I want to know how well the alternative will pan out in trade across the atlantic. I am certain people here in Britain will kick themselves in a few years.
All depends on if we're able to make trade deals with countries outside the EU. What people don't understand is that we can only make a trade deal with the EU as a whole and not a single EU country; what I mean by that is if we want a trade deal with France then we must have a trade deal with the whole of the EU... It's unlikely that we'll get a trade deal with the EU.
 
All depends on if we're able to make trade deals with countries outside the EU. What people don't understand is that we can only make a trade deal with the EU as a whole and not a single EU country; what I mean by that is if we want a trade deal with France then we must have a trade deal with the whole of the EU... It's unlikely that we'll get a trade deal with the EU.
what I am trying to say is, the transatlantic trade deal or whatever its called now played its part in brexit! My concern is that you have the entire continental europe on your doorstep for trade which joins onto Asia. Africa is massive market again very close to you. opting for transatlantic trade which is not clear what it entails and then the distance as well. Now there will have to be a massive effort to go all over the world and try to sell Britain and convince people to purchase British. Things like these are going to take time and a lot of time.
 
lol ok without their second biggest contributor!!
No worries they can do what they want.

I am hoping things will get better soon, In the short term I think we will have problems but it depends how it all pans out regarding trade deals with EU and the rest of the world.
 
I am hoping things will get better soon, In the short term I think we will have problems but it depends how it all pans out regarding trade deals with EU and the rest of the world.

No one can really predict the future, let's see, I hope for the best as well.

With this, Britain have diminished its own world standing. As such this tiny country, that can't help meddle in the affairs of others, has no longer the potency to advocate or judge others. Since umblical connect to EU is cut, its time to start anew among the grown ups. There'll be new reality for Britain to experience. Good luck.

No it hadn't and you show a fundamental lack of diseconomies of scale. The EU simply grew to fast and many sovereign nations found their voices becoming distant. The EU itself isn't a major player in the world, the reasons for that have already been stated here.
The UK is not tiny aside from landmass. It is among the most advanced nations on earth for technological progress, economic strength and military might. Don't write stupid things on here.
 
I wouldn't be surprised if some EU nations show their annoyance by announcing a visa policy vis a vis Britain.

Then the UK will do the same and it will hurt them far more if they go down this route. Millions of Europeans live here for work purposes, that's not the same for British citizens who are wealthy pensioners who have retired to the European mainland. The others are simply tourists. We've already seem thousands of wealthy folks leave Europe and head to our brother countries Australia and New Zealand.

what I want to know how well the alternative will pan out in trade across the atlantic. I am certain people here in Britain will kick themselves in a few years.

No they won't.

All depends on if we're able to make trade deals with countries outside the EU. What people don't understand is that we can only make a trade deal with the EU as a whole and not a single EU country; what I mean by that is if we want a trade deal with France then we must have a trade deal with the whole of the EU... It's unlikely that we'll get a trade deal with the EU.

A trade deal is highly likely, the EU simply doesn't want to lose one of its largest trading partners, with which they have a 60:40 sell ratio, and also create a powerful competitor on its door stop, with which Europe cannot compete with in many growth markets e.g. IT, advanced engineering, financial services etc.
I expect a free trade deal, although there will be divergence on rules so the EU may not give as best terms as they would have.

Would that create more jobs for South Asians as Europeans will leave UK?

Yes educated folks from Commonwealth states will be favoured.
 
Then the UK will do the same and it will hurt them far more if they go down this route. Millions of Europeans live here for work purposes, that's not the same for British citizens who are wealthy pensioners who have retired to the European mainland. The others are simply tourists. We've already seem thousands of wealthy folks leave Europe and head to our brother countries Australia and New Zealand.



No they won't.
Sir EU was asking about abolition of death sentence etc from Pakistan . Can u comment its impact on Pakistan . I think we can talk with UK separately v easily .
 
Sir EU was asking about abolition of death sentence etc from Pakistan . Can u comment its impact on Pakistan . I think we can talk with UK separately v easily .

The EU can only ask nation to rethink things such as death penalty. In the most extreme cases they can apply sanctions. Sadly the UK has no say in this now.
The UK being part of the EU secured many favourable trade agreements for Pakistan, one example is tariff free access for Pakistani goods, which the EU very rarely grants. But due to the close links between the UK and Pakistan and commonwealth states they granted it. So I find it bizarre why some Pakistanis love the EU and hate the UK.
The UK will now have its own agreements with Pakistan and other countries.
 
Then the UK will do the same and it will hurt them far more if they go down this route. Millions of Europeans live here for work purposes, that's not the same for British citizens who are wealthy pensioners who have retired to the European mainland. The others are simply tourists. We've already seem thousands of wealthy folks leave Europe and head to our brother countries Australia and New Zealand.
the NHS is working because of nurses and other medical professional from the EU! other sectors in Britain as well! I am sure Europeans would always be preferred to work in the UK. Then Brexit happens which plays it as a little oxymoron if i can share my opinion.

No they won't.
its a little early to say No straight away! One has to remember that Britain will have to start a campaign of buy British all over the world. A lot of giving and taking, compromises will have to be done. People who thought that immigration will end I can assure them it will not. Brexit is a reseting many clocks back to zero and now I can understand why even dodgy dave cameron who used to talk smack against EU suddenly changed his tune.
 
the NHS is working because of nurses and other medical professional from the EU! other sectors in Britain as well! I am sure Europeans would always be preferred to work in the UK. Then Brexit happens which plays it as a little oxymoron if i can share my opinion.

No it's not. Other nationalities way outnumber EU citizens, and that's even with them having the right to settle and work here.

8c2331c0-b4ec-4274-a161-50016df5e409.png



Only 9.5% of doctors and 6.4% of nurses are EU nationals, which is nothing....


https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7783


Here is a real eye opener, Indian and Pakistani doctors the second and third largest number of doctors in the NHS! You can't really include the Irish as way before the EU we had the right to settle and work in each other's countries.


NHSdoctorsNationality.png



https://promedical.co.uk/top-10-nhs-doctors-nationalities-across-the-uk/

I used to laugh at the whole "oh they run our NHS" nonsense. Having a close family member who is a celebrated surgeon.



its a little early to say No straight away! One has to remember that Britain will have to start a campaign of buy British all over the world. A lot of giving and taking, compromises will have to be done. People who thought that immigration will end I can assure them it will not. Brexit is a reseting many clocks back to zero and now I can understand why even dodgy dave cameron who used to talk smack against EU suddenly changed his tune.

True, but let's see how it all pans out. The UK has a huge number of inherent advantages and strength.
 
No it's not. Other nationalities way outnumber EU citizens, and that's even with them having the right to settle and work here.

8c2331c0-b4ec-4274-a161-50016df5e409.png



Only 9.5% of doctors and 6.4% of nurses are EU nationals, which is nothing....


https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7783


Here is a real eye opener, Indian and Pakistani doctors the second and third largest number of doctors in the NHS! You can't really include the Irish as way before the EU we had the right to settle and work in each other's countries.


NHSdoctorsNationality.png



https://promedical.co.uk/top-10-nhs-doctors-nationalities-across-the-uk/

I used to laugh at the whole "oh they run our NHS" nonsense. Having a close family member who is a celebrated surgeon.
Bro does this data account for nursing too?

True, but let's see how it all pans out. The UK has a huge number of inherent advantages and strength.
one strength is commonwealth, Britain and Pakistan don't have a good relation and that is why the royal visit took place! But even individual commonwealth nations now strong enough or getting stronger to not be circling around Britain.
 
Back
Top Bottom