Brexit done: UK leaves EU after 47 years

EU Council staff members remove the UK flag from the European Council building in Brussels. Pic/AFP

London: The UK has officially left the European Union (EU) after 47 years of membership and more than three years after it voted to do so in a referendum, finally putting an end to one of the most divisive political issues in the country's history, media reports said on Saturday.

When the clock struck 11 pm on Friday, thousands taking part in a Brexit celebration event in Parliament Square erupted into cheers, said a Metro newspaper report. An illuminated clock counting down to the deadline was projected onto Downing Street and jubilant Brexiteers began singing "God Save the Queen".

The historic moment also saw anti-Brexit protests, including candlelit vigils in Scotland. Pro-EU demonstrators also staged a march at Whitehall to bid a "fond farewell" to the union. Brexit was hailed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as "not an end but the beginning".

The UK and the EU have given themselves an 11-month 'transition period' in which the former will continue to follow the bloc's rules to strike new agreements on trade, security and a host of other areas Johnson is expected to clash with EU members as he pursues a hard Brexit.

The road ahead

. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will no longer be invited to summits of the European Council of leaders. As non-EU citizens, Brits are not eligible for senior bureaucratic posts in Brussels
. The EU has lost 66 million inhabitants. If Britain ever does decide it wants back in, then this will be a matter for EU accession procedures as for any outside applicant
. As UK leaves EU, its new passports
will be going back to their traditional blue rather than burgundy, which is recommended, but not mandated by EU rules
. Under the withdrawal agreement, both sets of expatriates retain the rights they had before Brexit to work and reside in their host country

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