Britain formally leaves the European Union
After years of debate, the UK departed the EU, beginning a transition to a new relationship with the bloc.
Britain formally left the European Union this year, after years of fraught debate and negotiation following the referendum vote to leave, marking a historic turning point as the country departed the bloc and began a transition toward a new relationship with its former partners.
The departure came after a prolonged and divisive period since the referendum, during which successive governments grappled with the terms of withdrawal, Parliament repeatedly deadlocked, and the country wrestled with the practical and political complexities of disentangling itself from the bloc.
A decisive general election the previous year had broken the impasse, delivering a mandate to complete the departure, and the necessary legislation was passed, enabling Britain to leave the European Union on the agreed date and enter a transition period.
During the transition, Britain and the European Union would negotiate the terms of their future relationship, including arrangements for trade, regulation and cooperation, in talks that promised to be complex and consequential for both sides.
The departure was a moment of profound significance, marking the first time a member state had left the European Union and representing a major shift in Britain's international position and in the configuration of Europe, with far-reaching implications for both.
Britain's exit from the European Union reflected and had deepened divisions within the country over its relationship with Europe, its identity and its future direction, divisions that would persist. As the country embarked on its new course outside the bloc, the long-term consequences, for its economy, its global role and its internal cohesion, remained to be seen, opening a new and uncertain chapter in the nation's history and in its relationship with the continent.