Today is Brexit Day. The road here has been long, ending not just three years of bizarre politics, but a saga that stretches back to the 1960s and has claimed three British Prime Ministers. Here is the definitive timeline.
1963 & 67: Britain is twice denied entry to the EC because of 'deep-seated hostility' to the European project.
1969: Britain is allowed membership of the EC.
1975: A referendum approves our EC membership by a 35% majority.
1990: Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigns over divisions with her Cabinet on Europe.
1992: The EC becomes the EU, with 'ever closer union' a guiding principle.
2006: Newly-elected party leader David Cameron criticises the Conservatives for 'banging on about Europe' amid more important issues.
2010: Cameron wins a general election and forms a government with the pro-EU Liberal Democrats.
(2010-15: Three of the biggest Conservative backbench rebellions in this government are over EU/immigration.)
2013: Without Lib Dem approval, Cameron makes his 'Bloomberg Speech', where he commits to major reform of the EU and an in/out referendum on membership.
2015: A Conservative majority government is elected with a manifesto pledge for a referendum. This will be held in 2016 after renegotiating British EU membership.
June 2016: The Referendum result shows a majority for leaving the EU. Cameron promptly resigns as Prime Minister.
July 2016: Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after a Conservative Party leadership race.
October 2016: May indicates a desire for a 'hard' Brexit: leaving most/all EU arrangements.
March 2017: Article 50 - the document that allows leaving the EU - is triggered to start a two-year negotiation period.
June 2017: A disastrously fought general election wipes out May's majority and establishes a fragmented, chaotic parliament.
December 2017: Fractious UK-EU negotiations lead to a 'joint agreement', providing the outline for a post-Brexit relationship. However, it is far from the final deal.
Summer 2018: May outlines her vision for the final deal. Meanwhile, Parliament gives itself the power to vote on and and when the deal is agreed.
Autumn 2018: The EU reject May's plan, but a compromise is reached in late November, finally creating a Brexit deal. Theresa May survives a vote of confidence by her own party, but then postpones Parliament's vote on the deal, fearing they won't pass it.
Winter 2019: May finally brings the deal to a vote and suffers the worst government Commons defeat in British history. The next day she survives a parliamentary Vote of No Confidence.
March 2019: After two failed attempts to pass the Brexit deal, May agrees an extension of Article 50 until 31st October.
May 2019: However, a catastrophic performance in the EU elections forces May to finally resign, becoming the third Conservative Prime Minister to do so over Europe.
Summer 2019: Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister after a leadership race, and commits to the 31st October deadline.
September 2019: The Supreme Court orders Johnson to reverse a prorogation of Parliament, which then passes a vote blocking Brexit without a deal.
Autumn 2019: Johnson fails to pass his own Brexit deal, but after a 'no-deal Brexit' is avoided, is successful in calling a general election
December 2019: Johnson wins a landslide victory, thus eliminating effective opposition. Jeremy Corbyn resigns as leader of the Labour Party.
January 2020: A new decade. Johnson's Brexit deal passes with ease and is ratified by the EU. The UK will leave the EU, then enter into a transition period upholding the status quo, at 11pm on the 31st January.
Pre-Referendum
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| Thatcher's resignation was heavily linked to Europe |
1963 & 67: Britain is twice denied entry to the EC because of 'deep-seated hostility' to the European project.
1969: Britain is allowed membership of the EC.
1975: A referendum approves our EC membership by a 35% majority.
1990: Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher resigns over divisions with her Cabinet on Europe.
1992: The EC becomes the EU, with 'ever closer union' a guiding principle.
2006: Newly-elected party leader David Cameron criticises the Conservatives for 'banging on about Europe' amid more important issues.
2010: Cameron wins a general election and forms a government with the pro-EU Liberal Democrats.
(2010-15: Three of the biggest Conservative backbench rebellions in this government are over EU/immigration.)
2013: Without Lib Dem approval, Cameron makes his 'Bloomberg Speech', where he commits to major reform of the EU and an in/out referendum on membership.
2015: A Conservative majority government is elected with a manifesto pledge for a referendum. This will be held in 2016 after renegotiating British EU membership.
2016
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| David Cameron resigns on the morning of the election |
July 2016: Theresa May becomes Prime Minister after a Conservative Party leadership race.
October 2016: May indicates a desire for a 'hard' Brexit: leaving most/all EU arrangements.
2017
June 2017: A disastrously fought general election wipes out May's majority and establishes a fragmented, chaotic parliament.
December 2017: Fractious UK-EU negotiations lead to a 'joint agreement', providing the outline for a post-Brexit relationship. However, it is far from the final deal.
2018
Autumn 2018: The EU reject May's plan, but a compromise is reached in late November, finally creating a Brexit deal. Theresa May survives a vote of confidence by her own party, but then postpones Parliament's vote on the deal, fearing they won't pass it.
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| Theresa May wins the Conservative Party vote of confidence |
2019
March 2019: After two failed attempts to pass the Brexit deal, May agrees an extension of Article 50 until 31st October.
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| Theresa May resigns |
May 2019: However, a catastrophic performance in the EU elections forces May to finally resign, becoming the third Conservative Prime Minister to do so over Europe.
Summer 2019: Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister after a leadership race, and commits to the 31st October deadline.
September 2019: The Supreme Court orders Johnson to reverse a prorogation of Parliament, which then passes a vote blocking Brexit without a deal.
Autumn 2019: Johnson fails to pass his own Brexit deal, but after a 'no-deal Brexit' is avoided, is successful in calling a general election
December 2019: Johnson wins a landslide victory, thus eliminating effective opposition. Jeremy Corbyn resigns as leader of the Labour Party.
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| The iconic slogan of the election |
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