BREXIT ORIGINS OF BREXIT 1975 United Kingdom European
BREXIT
ORIGINS OF BREXIT 1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum Supporters of the “Stay” campaign: Prime Minister Harold Wilson (of the Labour Party), Margaret Thatcher Supporters of the “Leave” campaign: left-wing of the Labour Party, Scottish National Party, Plaid Cymru, Communist Party, National Front.
David Cameron’s failed promise of a referendum on the Lisbon Treaty 2013 referendum bill that passed the House of Commons but failed in the House of Lords. In 2014 European parliament elections, UK Independence Party achieved first place. Cameron promised for an EU referendum before the 2015 elections. DAVID CAMERON ERA
Euroscepticism means criticism of the EU and European integration. Soft Euroscepticism: Opposing some EU institutions and policies and seeking reform Hard Euroscepticism: Opposing EU membership outright and seeing the EU as unreformable. Thatcher and Cameron used Eurosceptic rhetoric while being in favor of the UK's membership and the development of the European Single Market. Farage is one of the leaders of the Eurosceptic movement and the Leave campaign. EUROSCEPTICISM
Cameron kept his promise this time, and the referendum took place on 23 June 2016. The referendum question was Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? The possible responses were: Remain a member of the European Union Leave the European Union 2016 BREXIT REFERENDUM
Cameron lead the Remain campaign, officially named “Britain Stronger in Europe”. However, he allowed the members of the Conservative Party, even his cabinet ministers, to campaign publicly for EU withdrawal. The Labour Party supported remaining within the EU, but their leader, Jeremy Corbyn, was criticized for poor campaigning. LEADERS OF THE REMAIN CAMPAIGN
LEADERS OF THE LEAVE CAMPAIGN
REFERENDUM RESULTS
David Cameron resigned. Theresa May, the Home secretary, became the new Prime Minister. Boris Johnson had a much less public career in the following months. Johnson became the Foreign Minister in May’s Parliament in 2016 but resigned in 2018 because of his disagreements on the Brexit strategy with May. AFTER THE REFERENDUM
Article 50 of the EU Treaty makes it possible for members to leave. Theresa May invoked the Article 50 on 29 March 2017, which started the process of the UK leaving the EU on 29 March 2019, giving the parties two years to negotiate a deal for Brexit. May, unsuccessful in her efforts to make the Parliament pass the deals she negotiated with the EU, resigned as the Prime Minister on 24 May 2019. By this time, the EU has granted two extensions to the Article 50, making the Brexit deadline October 31 st. ARTICLE 50
A no-deal Brexit is self-explanatory: The UK leaving the EU without a deal. With no trade deal, that meant that the UK was to go to World Trade Organization terms. If countries don't have free trade agreements with each other, they trade under "WTO rules". A no deal Brexit means high tariffs and low quotas for British traders, which then would have a significant effect on the British economy. WHY A DEAL IS NEEDED
No hard border can be established between Northern Ireland the Republic of Ireland. No harder border can be established between NI and the UK. But there must be a border between the EU and the UK. May’s solution called for the UK to continue to be a part of the European Single Market for the time being. She relied on the support of the DUP. THE “IRISH BACKSTOP”
The ERG is a right-wing group of Conservative members of the UK Parliament. The ERG is known for its extreme opposition to the European Union. Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the ERG between 2018 -2019, is now in the Johnson cabinet. ERG opposed the backstop and their votes prevented the passing of May’s deals. EUROPEAN RESEARCH GROUP
After May’s shortcomings, Boris Johnson became the prime minister and the leader of the Conservative Party. Johnson tried to force everyone’s hands by threatening a no-deal Brexit, to keep his promise of “getting Brexit done”. JOHNSON BECOMES PRIME MINISTER
Corbyn has a “neutral” stance: He says that the referendum results must be respected, but there must be a good deal. He also supports a second referendum. The EU side remained more neutral and more bureaucratic, leaving the UK to sort the Brexit out in their parliament. EU managed to make deals with the UK which were generally seen as favorable to the EU. It should be noted that all the 27 other EU countries must accept the deal. Both Corbyn & the EU are opposed to a no-deal Brexit. THE “OPPONENTS” OF JOHNSON
The Benn Bill was introduced to prevent a no-deal Brexit. If no Brexit deal was ratified by the Parliament by October 19 th, the Prime Minister had to request an extension to the withdrawal process, with the new withdrawal date set to 31 January 2020. Johnson tried to block the debate of the bill but failed. THE BENN BILL
After the debate motion has passed, Johnson kicked the 21 MPs voting for the bill out of the Conservative Party. Johnson tried to force an election in response to the bill, but it failed since he Labour Party wouldn’t agree to an election if no-deal Brexit was still a danger. The bill passed the House with a majority of 28 and became the Benn Act. THE BENN ACT
JOHNSON’S DEAL When he was forced to make a deal with the EU, his solution was effectively customs checks between NI and the UK. In the process, he lost the DUP vote, but gained the support of the ERG, therefore getting a majority. He had the majority; however he didn’t have enough time to pass the deal through the Parliament before the October 19 th deadline of the Benn Act.
Johnson had to send a letter to the EU, requesting an extension to the Brexit deadline. Boris Johnson has repeatedly promised that he will deliver Brexit without further delay, so sending that letter would mean that the Labour Party has a victory against him. Not wanting to lose face (and votes), however obliged to request an extension by law, Johnson had this solution: Sending the formal request latter, but not signing it, and sending an additional letter to the EU urging them not to grant the extension. JOHNSON’S LETTERS
After the deadline was extended, Labour Party kept its promise and accepted to have elections. Boris Johnson used the Queen’s Speech as a propaganda tool. The parliament dissolved on November 6 th, with the general election to be held on December 12 th. DECEMBER ELECTIONS
Johnson describes himself ideologically as a “One-Nation Tory”. After he became Prime Minister, he used every speech to call for an election. Johnson’s main point in his rhetoric was this: He wanted to get Brexit done without delay, move the country forward and focus on national problems. He described the Benn Bill as the “surrender bill”. JOHNSON’S DISCOURSE
He sent his first letter without signing it. In the second letter, he underlined “the deep respect and affection” between the UK and the EU and promised that the UK “will remain the EU’s closest partner and friend”. He used the word “regret” in his letter when talking about the Benn Act. JOHNSON’S DISCOURSE
ELECTION FORECAST
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