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It seems like a day is not happening without Brexit making headlines.
Feel a little lost? We return here to the base and give some simple answers to the key questions.
What is Brexit?
Brexit is the abbreviation for "British exit". This is the word used to talk about the UK's decision to leave the EU (European Union).
What is the EU?
The EU is a group of 28 countries that trade with each other and allow anyone to easily move between countries to live and work (click here if you want to see the full list).
The United Kingdom has been part of the EU since 1973.
Why is the UK leaving?
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A public vote – called Referendum – is held on Thursday, June 23, 2016, while a question was asked to voters: should the United Kingdom stay or not in the European Union?
Parties on leave have won (from 52% to 48%) but the exit has not taken place right now – it will happen on March 29th, 2019.
What has happened so far?
The vote was only the beginning. Since then, negotiations have taken place between the UK and the other EU countries.
The discussions focused on the "divorce" agreement, which defines exactly how the UK leaves the EU – not what will happen after it leaves.
This agreement is known as a withdrawal agreement.
What was agreed?
The United Kingdom and the EU have developed a withdrawal agreement how does the UK leave the EU – although this is currently a project.
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It covers some of these key points:
- How much money will the UK have to pay to the EU to break the partnership – this amounts to around 39 billion pounds
- What will happen to British citizens living elsewhere in the European Union and also what will happen to European citizens living in the United Kingdom?
- It suggests a way to avoid the return of a physical boundary between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.
A calendar, called the transition period, agreed to allow the UK and the EU to conclude a trade agreement and give companies time to adapt.
This means that if the withdrawal agreement gets the green light, there will be no major changes between March 29, 2019 and December 31, 2020.
- Click here for more information on the withdrawal agreement project
Another, much shorter document has also been developed. It gives an overview of future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union in the long run.
It is the political statement. However, neither side should stick to exactly what she says – it's all about ambitions for future talks.
- Click here for more information on the Political Declaration
What happens next?
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On Sunday 25 November, the leaders of the 28 EU countries will meet in Brussels.
The political declaration should be approved without major changes.
Prime Minister Theresa May will also try to ensure that European leaders formally adhere to the withdrawal agreement.
If approved, Ms. May will then have to convince members of her own parliament to support her. A vote in Parliament is expected in December.
Will the agreement be submitted to Parliament?
For the moment, it seems that will not be the case.
Ms. May does not have enough support from her own Conservative MPs or those from other parties.
There is a wide range of complaints, many of which relate to the failure of the EU to restore control of the United Kingdom.
- More information on what may happen when MPs have their say
What happens if Parliament rejects the agreement?
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It is not very clear.
The default position in this scenario would be for the UK to leave the country without agreement.
But members would have up to 21 days to suggest a way forward.
So we leave definitively on March 29, 2019?
It is written in the law that the UK will leave at 23:00 GMT on this date.
But if there is no agreement or if Parliament rejects the agreement, it is impossible to say for sure what will happen next.
The deadline of March 29, 2019 could be extended – but the 28 members of the EU should be in agreement.
Other possibilities (explained in more detail here) include allowing the Prime Minister to make a second attempt to have his agreement accepted by Parliament.
Another suggestion is a new referendum, possibly asking voters if they approve of the agreement, rather than reconsidering the original vote.
What happens if we leave without an agreement?
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"Disagree" means that the UK would not have managed to agree on a withdrawal agreement.
This would mean that there would be no transition period after Brexit and that the UK would sever all ties with the European Union overnight.
The government has begun to plan this potential situation. He has published a series of guides – which cover everything from pet passports to the impact on electricity supply.
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labor Party, said that the United Kingdom would remain without agreement, it would be a "national disaster".
But other MPs downplayed chaos warnings and want a "clean break" from the EU.
Anything else I should know?
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Northern Ireland has been the subject of much debate on Brexit.
The UK and the EU want to avoid a physical border – with guard posts and checks – between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland (here's why).
But trying to find a way to avoid this if the UK leaves the EU without accepting a trade agreement has turned out to be problematic.
So they agreed to set up a backstop – This is a kind of safety net to ensure that a hard border never occurs.
This would mean that Northern Ireland – but not the rest of the UK – would continue to abide by some EU rules in areas such as food products.
The "backstop" of Northern Ireland is a last resort – the Prime Minister insists that if everything goes as planned, it will never be used.
