Remainers
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

In the wake of the
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
held in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016, many new pieces of
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
-related
jargon Jargon, or technical language, is the specialized terminology associated with a particular field or area of activity. Jargon is normally employed in a particular Context (language use), communicative context and may not be well understood outside ...
entered popular use.Al Jazeera. (2018)
''Brexit jargon: From backstop to no deal, 17 key terms explained'' (Al Jazeera)
Retrieved 29 March 2019.
BBC. (2019)
''Brexit: Jargon-busting guide to the key terms'' (BBC)
Retrieved 29 March 2019.
The word "Brexit" was named as Word of the Year 2016 by the publishers of ''
Collins English Dictionary The ''Collins English Dictionary'' is a printed and online dictionary of English. It is published by HarperCollins in Glasgow. It was first published in 1979. Corpus The dictionary uses language research based on the Collins Corpus, which is ...
''.


A

;:Article 50 of the
Treaty on European Union The Treaty on the European Union (2007) is one of the primary Treaties of the European Union, alongside the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU). The TEU forms the basis of EU law, by setting out general principles of the EU's ...
specifies the procedure of withdrawing from the European Union. It was introduced in the
Treaty of Lisbon The Treaty of Lisbon (initially known as the Reform Treaty) is a European agreement that amends the two treaties which form the constitutional basis of the European Union (EU). The Treaty of Lisbon, which was signed by all EU member states o ...
from 2009. Under the process, once the formal notification has been sent, the withdrawing state and the European Union have a two-year deadline to negotiate a withdrawal agreement. After that time, unless an extension has been agreed or the withdrawing state revokes its intention to withdraw, the membership ends regardless of whether or not an agreement was reached. If an agreement has been reached before the deadline, the withdrawing state may end their membership at any time before the deadline. On 29 March 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the procedure. ;:A euphemism popularised by
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
to refer to a
no-deal Brexit A no-deal Brexit (also called a clean-break Brexit) was the potential Brexit, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) without a withdrawal agreement. Under Withdrawal from the European Union, Article 50 o ...
in which the United Kingdom would be placed in the same position in relation to the European Union as
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
which does not possess an existing trade agreement. The term WTO rules has a similar meaning referring to the default provisions governing
international trade International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (See: World economy.) In most countries, such trade represents a significan ...
under rules set by the
World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
(WTO).


B

;:See ''
Irish backstop The Irish backstop (formally the Northern Ireland Protocol) was a proposed protocol to a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement that never came into force. It was developed by the May government and the European Commission in December 2017 and fin ...
'' ;:A scenario where the UK leaves the EU without clarity on the terms of a future trade deal. EU and British negotiators would then have until 31 December 2020 to complete a future trade deal. During this transition period the UK would effectively be treated as an EU member in many areas, but with the right to negotiate international trade agreements and no voting rights in the EU. Also known as a "Blindfold Brexit". ;: A portmanteau of "British" and "remain"; used to refer to the option in the 2016 referendum to remain in the EU. ;: ''Brexit'' (like its early variant, Brixit) is a
portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of "British" and "exit". Grammatically, it has been called a complex nominal. The first attestation in the ''
Oxford English Dictionary The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
'' is a Euractiv blog post by Peter Wilding on 15 May 2012. It was coined by analogy with "
Grexit A Greek withdrawal from the eurozone was a hypothetical scenario, debated mostly in the early to mid 2010s, under which Greece would Withdrawal from the Eurozone, withdraw from the Eurozone to deal with the Greek government-debt crisis of the ...
", attested on 6 February 2012 to refer to a hypothetical withdrawal of Greece from the
eurozone The euro area, commonly called the eurozone (EZ), is a Monetary union, currency union of 20 Member state of the European Union, member states of the European Union (EU) that have adopted the euro (Euro sign, €) as their primary currency ...
(and possibly the EU altogether, although there was never a clear popular mandate for it)."Brexit, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2017. Web. 9 May 2017. The UK membership of the European Union ended at 11 p.m. GMT on 31 January 2020, when a transition period began until the end of 2020 for UK and EU to negotiate further treaty arrangements in respect of their future trading relationship. ; :31 January 2020, the day the UK ceased to be a member of the EU. The date was originally set for 29 March 2019 at 11 p.m. GMT, but was moved three times: first to either 12 April or 22 May, depending on whether or not a withdrawal agreement was ratified; then to 1 July or 31 October, depending on whether or not the UK held European Parliament elections; and finally to 31 January 2020. ;Brexiteer/Brexiter:See ''Leaver'' ;: portmanteau of "
Brexiter In the wake of the referendum held in the United Kingdom on 23 June 2016, many new pieces of Brexit-related jargon entered popular use.Al Jazeera. (2018)''Brexit jargon: From backstop to no deal, 17 key terms explained'' (Al Jazeera) Retrieved 2 ...
" and "
Extremist Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied shar ...
", a pejorative term used by some outlets to describe Leavers of an overzealous, uncompromising disposition. ; :A derogatory variant of
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
, used chiefly by its opponents. It is a portmanteau of the terms Brexit and
shit ''Shit'' is an English-language profanity. As a noun, it refers to fecal matter, and as a verb it means to defecate; in the plural ("the shits"), it means diarrhea. ''Shite'' is a common variant in British and Irish English. As a slang ...
(a profane word referring to
faeces Feces (also known as faeces American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, or fæces; : faex) are the solid or semi-solid remains of food that was not digested in the small intestine, and has been broken down by bacteria in the ...
). ;: A word coined to describe the extension granted until 31 January 2020 (a portmanteau of ''Brexit'' and ''extension'').


C

;:This is shorthand for a proposal in which the UK signs a
free trade agreement A free trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating state (polity), states. There are two types of trade agreements: Bilateralism, bilateral and Multilateralism, m ...
with the EU. This would allow the UK to control its own trade policy as opposed to jointly negotiating alongside the EU, but would require rules of origin agreements to be reached for UK–EU trade. It is likely this would lead to UK–EU trade being less "free" than joining the
European Free Trade Association The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe, European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. ...
(EFTA), and result in additional border controls being required, which is an issue of contention, particularly on the island of
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. The Canadian–EU deal took seven years to negotiate, but some Brexiteers argued it would take much less time between the UK and EU as the two participants already align on regulatory standards. (Others aimed for regulatory divergence as a matter of principle.) ;:A July 2018
white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
by the UK government, setting out its wishes for the UK's future relationship with EU. The plan was agreed at a cabinet meeting at
Chequers Chequers ( ) is the English country house, country house of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, prime minister of the United Kingdom. A 16th-century manor house in origin, it is near the village of Ellesborough in England, halfway betwee ...
, and caused a number of resignations. When the UK and EU agreed a draft withdrawal agreement and the related political declaration in November 2018, the Chequers plan was superseded by that political declaration. ;:See ''No-deal Brexit''. This term is used primarily by proponents of a no-deal Brexit, in particular the
Brexit Party Reform UK is a right-wing populist political party in the United Kingdom. Nigel Farage has been Leader of Reform UK and Richard Tice deputy leader since 2024. It has five members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons and one membe ...
. Also known as "clean brexit". ;:See ''EU Customs Union''


D

;:The UK agreed to settle outstanding financial commitments that it had approved while a member of the EU. The amount owed is officially referred to as the '' financial settlement'' but has informally been referred to as an ''exit bill'' or ''divorce bill''. The UK's
Office for Budget Responsibility The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is a non-departmental public body funded by the HM Treasury, UK Treasury that provides independent Economic forecasting, economic forecasts and independent analysis of the public finances. It was formal ...
estimate of the amount at the original planned date of Brexit in March 2019 was £38 billion. Following delay of the UK's exit until 31 January 2020, after normal member contributions payable up to that date, a final settlement of £33 billion was estimated. This estimate was updated in July 2024 to £30.2 billion.


E

;:The
customs union A customs union is generally defined as a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff.GATTArticle 24 s. 8 (a) Customs unions are established through trade pacts where the participant countries set u ...
of the EU: an agreement that members do not impose taxes on goods imported from one another, and have a common
tariff A tariff or import tax is a duty (tax), duty imposed by a national Government, government, customs territory, or supranational union on imports of goods and is paid by the importer. Exceptionally, an export tax may be levied on exports of goods ...
for goods imported from non-members countries. Being in a customs union facilitates trade and economic cooperation, but leaving the EU customs union allows the UK to conduct its own
trade policy A commercial policy (also referred to as a trade policy or international trade policy) is a government's policy governing international trade. Commercial policy is an all encompassing term that is used to cover topics which involve international ...
. In the 2019 withdrawal agreement, all of the UK will leave the EU customs union, which creates a ''de jure'' customs border on the Republic of Ireland–Northern Ireland border. In practice, customs checks will be performed at ports and airports in Northern Ireland, and taxes will be paid for goods that are "at risk" of being moved from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland. :See also
Irish Sea border The Irish Sea border is an informal term for the trade border between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. It was specified by the Ireland/Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit withdrawal agreement (February 2020), was refined by the Joint Commi ...
,
Northern Ireland Protocol The Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, commonly abbreviated to the Northern Ireland Protocol (NIP), is a protocol to the Brexit withdrawal agreement that sets out Northern Ireland’s post-Brexit relationship with both the EU and Great Bri ...
,
Windsor Framework The Windsor Framework is a post-Brexit legal agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom which adjusts the operation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Framework was announced on 27 February 2023, formally adopted by both pa ...
, and Brexit and the Irish border. ;:See also ''Brexit day'' :UK domestic law has defined "exit day" for the purpose of dealing with the domestic consequences of Brexit, but the date is not formally linked to UK's departure from the EU.


F

;:The juxtapositioning in post-Brexit negotiations of EU access to UK natural resources on the one hand and UK access to the EU financial services market on the other. Fishermen in the eight European countries whose waters border the UK's would like to maintain something close to the level of access they have enjoyed under the EU
Common Fisheries Policy The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fishery, fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which Member state of the European Union, member states are allowed to catch each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishin ...
, as they depend heavily on many species found in the UK's rich waters, while British fishermen want the European presence in UK waters to be limited. At the same time, UK financial institutions would like to keep the access they presently have to customers in the EU as it currently accounts for a significant part of their business, while the EU wants to make sure Britain's regulations are as strict as its own before it allows this. ;:A "flextension" was how the
House of Commons Library The House of Commons Library is the library and information resource of the lower house of the British Parliament. It was established in 1818, although its original 1828 construction was destroyed during the burning of Parliament in 1834. Th ...
described the first extension made to the Article 50 period. That extension was until 22 May 2019 if the Theresa May ''Withdrawal Agreement'' was approved by the House of Commons, otherwise it was until 12 April. :A "flextension" was also how European Council president
Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...
characterised the extension to 31 January 2020, which allows the UK to leave before the deadline, on the first of any month, if by then a deal has been approved by the UK and European parliaments.


H

;:"Hard Brexit" and "soft Brexit" are unofficial terms that are commonly used by news media to describe the prospective relationship between the UK and the EU after withdrawal. A hard Brexit usually refers to the UK leaving the EU and the European Single Market with few or no deals (trade or otherwise) in place, meaning that trade will be conducted under the
World Trade Organization The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that regulates and facilitates international trade. Governments use the organization to establish, revise, and enforce the rules that g ...
's rules, and services will no longer be provided by
agencies of the European Union The European Union and Euratom have agencies, decentralised independent bodies, corporate bodies and joint undertakings which are established as juridical persons through secondary EU legislation and tasked with a specific narrow field of work. ...
(such as
aviation safety Aviation safety is the study and practice of managing risks in aviation. This includes preventing aviation accidents and incidents through research, educating air travel personnel, passengers and the general public, as well as the design of airc ...
). Soft Brexit encompasses any deal that involves retaining membership in the European Single Market and at least some
free movement of people Freedom of movement, mobility rights, or the right to travel is a human rights concept encompassing the right of individuals to travel from place to place within the territory of a country A country is a distinct part of the world, such a ...
according to
European Economic Area The European Economic Area (EEA) was established via the ''Agreement on the European Economic Area'', an international agreement which enables the extension of the European Union's single market to member states of the European Free Trade Asso ...
(EEA) rules. Theresa May's "
Chequers agreement The Chequers plan, officially known as ''The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union (Cm 9593)'', was a UK Government white paper concerning Brexit, published on 12July 2018 by the Prime Minister of the United King ...
" embraced some aspects of a "soft" Brexit. Note that the EEA and the deal with Switzerland contain fully free movement of people, and that the EU has wanted that to be included in a deal with UK on fully free trade. ;:An Ireland–Northern Ireland border with physical border installations. The UK and EU both desire to prevent a hard border, but finding a way to achieve this has proved difficult. A hard border is feared because it might endanger the
Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
that in 1998 ended the Northern Ireland conflict. With both Ireland and the UK a member of the EU, customs checks were not necessary, and the Good Friday Agreement removed security checks at the border. The draft withdrawal agreement, as updated in October 2019, avoids a hard border by keeping Northern Ireland aligned with some EU regulation, while performing customs checks at the Irish Sea border.


I

;: Indicative votes are votes by members of parliament on a series of
non-binding resolution A non-binding resolution is a motion adopted by a deliberative body that does not enact a law or a substantive rule, and is simply used to make known what the opinions of that body are in relation to a certain fact or event. This type of resoluti ...
s. They are a means of testing the will of the House of Commons on different options relating to one issue. MPs voted on eight different options for the next steps in the Brexit process on 27 March 2019; however, none of the proposals earned a majority in the indicative votes. MPs also voted on four options on 1 April 2019 in the second round of indicative votes. Still, none of the proposals earned a majority. ;: The period ending on 31 December 2020 at 11 p.m. GMT, as stated in section 39 of
European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill 2019–20 The European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 (c. 1) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that makes legal provision for ratifying the Brexit withdrawal agreement and incorporating it into the domestic law of the United ...
. The UK-EU withdrawal agreement uses the wording ''transition period'', while the EEA-UK separation agreement has ''implementation period''. ;:An "insurance policy" intended to prevent a hard border between
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
and
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, and thus respecting the
Good Friday Agreement The Good Friday Agreement (GFA) or Belfast Agreement ( or ; or ) is a pair of agreements signed on 10 April (Good Friday) 1998 that ended most of the violence of the Troubles, an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland since the la ...
. It was included in the 2018 draft withdrawal agreement, and would come in force if no solution to the
Irish border problem The impact of Brexit on Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the Irish border and its adjacent polities involves changes in trade, customs, immigration checks, local economies, services, recognition of qualifications, medical cooperat ...
was found during the transition period. Under the plan, the UK would remain in a
customs union A customs union is generally defined as a type of trade bloc which is composed of a free trade area with a common external tariff.GATTArticle 24 s. 8 (a) Customs unions are established through trade pacts where the participant countries set u ...
with the EU, while Northern Ireland and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the UK would follow additional EU rules. The backstop was controversial because critics feared it would bind the UK to the EU for an indefinite time, and the UK could not withdraw from it unilaterally. In October 2019, the withdrawal agreement was revised, and the Irish backstop was replaced with the Article 18 of the Northern Ireland Protocol which provides for a four-year period in which Northern Ireland would remain aligned with certain EU laws. This arrangement can be extended for further four-year periods for as long as the
Northern Ireland Assembly The Northern Ireland Assembly (; ), often referred to by the metonym ''Stormont'', is the devolved unicameral legislature of Northern Ireland. It has power to legislate in a wide range of areas that are not explicitly reserved to the Parliam ...
assents by simple majority vote.


L

;Leaver: Those supporting Brexit are sometimes referred to as "Leavers". Alternatively the term "Brexiteers", or "Brexiters" has been used to describe adherents of the Leave campaign. ;Level playing field: A collective term referring to the proposed commitment to abiding by common environmental, labour and social standards set in EU law as a pre-condition for British access to the Single Market under a prospective trade deal. It is determined by the commitment to avoiding regulatory arbitrage that might bestow an undue
competitive advantage In business, a competitive advantage is an attribute that allows an organization to outperform its competitors. A competitive advantage may include access to natural resources, such as high-grade ores or a low-cost power source, highly skille ...
to British firms. ;:Also Lexiter. A portmanteau of ''left-wing'' and ''Brexit'', referring to left-wing advocacy of EU withdrawal.


M

;:A ''
meaningful vote Parliamentary votes on Brexit, sometimes referred to as "meaningful votes", were the parliamentary votes under the terms of Section 13 of the United Kingdom's European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, which requires the government of the United Kin ...
'' is a vote under section 13 of the
European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 The European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 (c. 16) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom to repeal the European Communities Act 1972, and for parliamentary approval to be required for any withdrawal agreement negotiated between th ...
, requiring the government to arrange for a motion proposing approval of the outcome of negotiations with the EU to be debated and voted on by the House of Commons before the
European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the two legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it ...
decides whether it consents to the withdrawal agreement being concluded on behalf of the EU in accordance with Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union. ;: "Managed no-deal Brexit", or "managed no deal Brexit", was increasingly used near the end of 2018, in respect of the complex series of political, legal and technical decisions needed if there is no withdrawal agreement treaty with the EU when the UK exits under the Article 50 withdrawal notice. The
Institute for Government The Institute for Government (IfG) is a British independent think tank which aims to improve government effectiveness through research and analysis. Based at 2 Carlton Gardens in central London and founded as a charity in 2008, it was initiall ...
has advised that the concept is unrealistic.


N

;: This means the UK would leave the European Union without a withdrawal agreement, and/or without a trade deal with the EU. ;: The 'Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland', commonly abbreviated to the 'Northern Ireland Protocol', is a
protocol Protocol may refer to: Sociology and politics * Protocol (politics) Protocol originally (in Late Middle English, c. 15th century) meant the minutes or logbook taken at a meeting, upon which an agreement was based. The term now commonly refers to ...
to the
Brexit withdrawal agreement The Brexit withdrawal agreement, officially titled Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, is a treaty between the European Uni ...
that governs the unique customs and immigration issues at the border on the island of
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
between the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
and the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
, and on some aspects of trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom. ;/Norway-plus model:The 'Norway model' is shorthand for a model where the United Kingdom leaves the European Union but becomes a member of the
European Free Trade Association The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) is a regional trade organization and free trade area consisting of four List of sovereign states and dependent territories in Europe, European states: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. ...
(EFTA) and the European Economic Area. EFTA and EEA membership would allow the UK to remain in the single market but without having to be subject to the
Common Fisheries Policy The Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) is the fishery, fisheries policy of the European Union (EU). It sets quotas for which Member state of the European Union, member states are allowed to catch each type of fish, as well as encouraging the fishin ...
,
Common Agricultural Policy The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the agricultural policy of the European Commission. It implements a system of agricultural subsidies and other programmes. It was introduced in 1962 and has since then undergone several changes to reduce ...
, and the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...
(ECJ). The UK would be subject to the EFTA court for interstate disputes, which largely shadows the ECJ, would have to transfer a large amount of EU law into UK law, and would no longer have any direct say on shaping new EU rules (some of which the UK would be obliged to transpose into UK law). The UK would also retain reciprocal freedom of movement between the EU and UK, which was seen as a key issue of contention in the referendum. :The ' Norway-plus model' proposed a similar but closer relationship with the EU: this proposed in addition that the UK would join the
European Union Customs Union The European Union Customs Union (EUCU), formally known as the Community Customs Union, is a customs union which consists of all the member states of the European Union (EU), Monaco, and the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dheke ...
.


P

;:An
advocacy group Advocacy groups, also known as lobby groups, interest groups, special interest groups, pressure groups, or public associations, use various forms of advocacy or lobbying to influence public opinion and ultimately public policy. They play an impor ...
launched in April 2018 which calls for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal. The People's Vote march is part of a series of demonstrations against Brexit. ; :A document setting out the intended future relationship between the UK and EU. The declaration formed the basis for the trade agreement negotiations that started once the UK left the EU. Unlike the withdrawal agreement which is a legally binding treaty, the political declaration had no legal force.


R

;: Those in favour of the UK rejoining the EU are sometimes referred to as "Rejoiners". ;: Those in favour of the UK remaining in the EU are often referred to as "Remainers". ;:
Portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.
of "Remainer" and "moan", used pejoratively by Leavers to describe a subset of Remainers, especially those that criticised or campaigned to undo the result after the referendum.


S

;: A second referendum has been proposed by a number of politicians and pressure groups. The
Electoral Commission An election commission is a body charged with overseeing the implementation of electioneering process of any country. The formal names of election commissions vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, and may be styled an electoral commission, a c ...
has the responsibility for nominating lead campaign groups for each possible referendum outcome. ;: A model for the post-Brexit British economy that proposes that the UK deregulate and offer businesses a lower tax burden as an alternative to the EU, much like
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
does in Asia. ;: The term "slow Brexit" was first coined by Prime Minister
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; born 1 October 1956), is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served as Home Secretar ...
on 25 March 2019 as she spoke to Parliament, warning MPs that
Article 50 Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU) provides for the possibility of an EU member state leaving the European Union "in accordance with its own constitutional requirements". Currently, the United Kingdom is the only state to hav ...
could be extended beyond 22 May, slowing down the Brexit process. A 'slow Brexit' implies a longer period of political uncertainty in which members of Parliament will debate a sequence of steps of Britain's departure from the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
.


T

Take back control "Take back control", or sometimes "let's take back control", was a British political slogan associated with the Brexit referendum, popularised by the Vote Leave campaign. It was used by supporters of Brexit, Britain's withdrawal from the Euro ...
: *A pro-Brexit phrase implying that Britain's sovereignty and ability to make its own laws had been lost by its membership of the EU and would return after withdrawal.


W

;: The 'Windsor Framework' is a post-Brexit legal agreement between the EU and the UK, designed to address problems with the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland (and thus to the EU Single Market) arising from the Northern Ireland Protocol. ; :A treaty between the UK and the EU, setting out the terms for the UK's withdrawal. The first version was agreed in November 2018 but was rejected by the UK parliament three times. The agreement contained the contentious
Irish backstop The Irish backstop (formally the Northern Ireland Protocol) was a proposed protocol to a draft Brexit withdrawal agreement that never came into force. It was developed by the May government and the European Commission in December 2017 and fin ...
, which was one of the reasons for opposition to it. The failed ratification led to the resignation of the UK prime minister, Theresa May, and her successor
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
sought to renegotiate it despite the EU's refusal to do so. In October 2019, the EU and the new UK government agreed a new version of the withdrawal agreement, with the backstop replaced by a different solution to the
Irish border problem The impact of Brexit on Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border, the Irish border and its adjacent polities involves changes in trade, customs, immigration checks, local economies, services, recognition of qualifications, medical cooperat ...
. The new agreement passed its second reading in the House of Commons in December 2019, following a
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
in which the Conservatives won a decisive majority.


References


Further reading

* * * * * *


External links

{{Brexit topics Brexit
Brexit Brexit (, a portmanteau of "Britain" and "Exit") was the Withdrawal from the European Union, withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU). Brexit officially took place at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February ...
Wikipedia glossaries using description lists