INSIDER February 2019 | Page 20

Insider Politics Baffled over Brexit? If you are, you are not alone. This article will provide you with the basic information to help you understand this complicated topic and how it came about. The Facts On the 23rd of June 2016 the UK public voted for the Uk to leave a group of countries known as the European Union (EU). The UK is due to leave the EU on the 29th March 2019 at 11pm. Brexit is a signif- icant moment in European history because no country has ever left the EU be- fore. In 2013 Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron promised to hold a vote on wheth- er the UK should remain part of the EU if his par- ty won the gen- eral election. This had been a heavily debated topic for many years prior to this. In 2015 the conservative par- ty won the vote and therefore the vote was held. In February 2016 Cameron set the date for the vote. Cameron made his opinion clear stating; "The choice is in your hands, but my recommendation is clear. I believe that Britain will be safer, stronger and better off by remaining in a reformed Euro- pean Union." More than 33 million people voted. Around 52% of them chose to leave the group of 28 countries, while 48% wanted to stay in it. It was declared that the UK wanted to leave the EU. Due to these results Cameron re- signed from his position as PM. Theresa May took over the job in July 2016. For a country to leave the EU it takes officially two years. The process began with May trig- gering Article 50—an agree- ment between the EU coun- tries about how a country can leave. Ar- ticle 50 has never been put in place before. The College magazine online: sixthformmag.blogspot.co.uk