United Kingdom exit from the European Union/Timelines

2016

June

• 23rd: voters in a UK-wide referendum (including Gibraltar) opted to leave the EU.

• 24th:

counting completed and results officially announced: 17,410,742 (51.9%) for 'leave' and 16,141,241 (48.1%) for 'remain'.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron notified the nation of his intention to step down;

a significant downturn in global stock markets took place, in which Sterling significantly weakened;

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she might well seek a second referendum on the nation leaving the UK.

• 24th/25th?

Oliver Letwin put in charge on interim basis of unit to plan for exit

• 25th:

the UK member of the European Commission, Lord Hill, resigned his seat;

Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn was sacked at midnight by the Leader of the Opposition, Jeremy Corbyn, for questioning his leadership of the Labour Party's 'remain' campaign after it emerged that many Labour-supporting areas had strongly-backed Brexit.

• 26th:

a series of senior Opposition figures resigned amid calls for Jeremy Corbyn to step down as Labour leader;

the Scottish First Minister suggested that the Scottish Parliament might block UK withdrawal;

a petition on the UK government website for a second referendum on EU membership reached over three million signatories;

The Liberal Democrats announced a new policy of re-entering the EU;

HSBC indicated that some staff would be moved from London to Paris if the UK left the EU's single market.

• 27th:

further falls on global stock markets, with trading in stocks of some UK banks briefly suspended;

finance minister George Osborne and the Prime Minister sought to calm fears through public statements;

the majority of senior figures in the Labour Opposition had resigned by the afternoon, and a confidence vote on Jeremy Corbyn's leadership was called for the following day.

• 28th:

Prime Minister Cameron met with EU leaders to discuss the Brexit vote.

Corbyn defeated by 172 votes to 40 in confidence vote among Labour MPs; refuses to resign.

• 29th:

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon held talks with senior EU figures on protecting Scotland's relationship with the EU, but no agreement was reached.

For the first time in its 41-year membership, the UK was excluded from a full meeting of EU state representatives, who discussed their positions on Brexit.

• 30th:

Boris Johnson, who had widely been expected to stand, ruled himself out of the Conservative leadership, having lost the support of his aide Michael Gove. Five candidates were nominated by deadline: Stephen Crabb, Liam Fox, Michael Gove, Andrea Leadsom and Theresa May.

Governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, warned of further weakness in the UK economy as a result of the referendum.

July

• By early July, stocks had regained much of their lost ground, but public opinion polls indicated that support for Brexit might be weakening.
• 4th:

Nigel Farage resigns as leader of the United Kingdom Independence Party.

• 5th:

1st leadership ballot of Conservative MPs: May 165, Leadsom 66, Gove 48, Crabb 34, Fox 16, abstention 1 (the Prime Minister chose to be neutral even in private); bottom candidate Fox eliminated by the rules; Crabb withdraws.

• 7th:

2nd ballot: May 199, Leadsom 84, Gove 46, abstention 1; Gove eliminated; final ballot to be held by all party members.

• 11th:

Angela Eagle challenges Jeremy Corbyn for the Labour leadership

Andrea Leadsom withdraws from the Conservative leadership contest; Theresa May officially declared the winner

• 12th:

Labour Party National Executive Committee declared that Jeremy Corbyn would automatically be a candidate in any leadership contest.

• 13th:

Owen Smith joins Labour leadership contest.

David Cameron resigned as Prime Minister and was replaced by Theresa May.

Leave campaigner David Davis appointed as Cabinet minister in charge of exit process.

• 13th/14th:

Other leave campaigners appointed to international-facing departments: Boris Johnson (Foreign Office); Liam Fox (International Trade, newly created); Priti Patel (International Development).

• 19th:

Angela Eagle withdraws from Labour leadership contest

• 28th:

High Court upholds Labour NEC ruling on nominations

September

• 24th:

Jeremy Corbyn confirmed as Labour leader.

November

• 3rd:

High Court rules government requires Parliamentary approval to give official notice of leaving; appeal expected to Supreme Court

December

• 7th:

House of Commons votes 448 to 75 for Government plan to give 2 years' notice of leaving by end of March 2017 ([3])

2017

January

• 17th:

May announces UK will not seek to remain in the Single Market

Sturgeon responds by saying another Scottish independence referendum is now likely

• 24th:

Supreme Court upholds High Court ruling of 3 November (above), requiring an Act of Parliament to give notice of leaving

February

• 1st:

House of Commons gives 2nd reading to bill authorizing Prime Minister to give notice of leaving, by 498 votes to 114

• 2nd:

Government white paper giving more detail on negotiating position

• 7th:

Government announces that on conclusion of negotiations Parliament would be able to choose between draft deal and default rules of World Trade Organization

• 8th:

House of Commons gives 3rd reading to above bill, by 494 votes to 122

March

• 13th:

Sturgeon announces she will definitely seek authorization for another Scottish independence referendum

House of Lords passes above bill

• 16th:

Royal Assent to bill

• 28th:

Scottish Parliament votes to request a new independence referendum

Prime Minister signs letter giving official notice of leaving

• 29th:

Letter officially handed over by diplomat Sir Tim Barrow to Donald Tusk, President of the European Council

• 30th:

Government publishes White Paper giving more deatil of its plans

April

• 19th:

House of Commons gives necessary 2/3 vote for a government request for a general election

• 29th:

The other 27 members agree their initial negotiating position

June

• 8th:

general election

• 9th:

results: 317 Conservatives, 262 Labour, 35 Scottish National Party, 12 Liberal Democrats, 10 Democratic Unionists, 7 Sinn Fein, 4 Plaid Cymru, 1 Green, 1 Independent and the Speaker

• 19th:

official negotiations begin

July

• 13th:

government publishes bill to repeal European Communities Act 1972

September

• 11th/12th:

House of Commons gives second reading to bill by 326 to 290

December

• 8th:

Conclusion of first phase of negotiations, with preliminary agreement on financial obligations, expatriate rights and the Irish border

• 13th:

Agreement approved by European Parliament

• 15th:

Agreement approved by leaders of the other 27 members

2018

January

• 17th:

Bill, as amended, given 3rd reading in Commons by 324 to 295

March

• 19th:

provisional agreement on transitional period

June

• 26th

royal assent to Act

July

• 6th-12th

apparent Cabinet agreement on proposals for future relationship with EU followed by resignations from Cabinet; proposals published

November

• 13th

withdrawal agreement reached between UK and EU, subject to approval

House of Commons orders publication of government's legal advice

• 14th

agreement approved by Cabinet and published

• 15th

more Cabinet resignations

• 19th

agreement approved by leaders of other 27 members

• 22nd

outline agreement on future relations

• 25th

agreements approved at summit of all 28 national leaders

December

• 4th

House of Commons votes 311 to 293 to censure the Government for publishing only a summary of its legal advice

start of Commons debate on the deal

• 5th

Government publishes full legal advice

• 10th

European Court of Justice rules that the UK can unilaterally revoke its withdrawal notice

2019

January

• 8th

House of Commons votes 303 to 296 to amend the Finance Bill to deprive the Government of powers to amend tax law to deal with an exit without a withdrawal agreement

• 15th

House of Commons votes 432 to 202 to reject the agreement (largest Government defeat on record)

• 29th

House of Commons passes a resolution saying it "rejects" leaving without an agreement, "requires" alteration of the arrangements for the Irish border, and "would support" an agreement so modified

March

• 11th

supplementary agreement between government and EU regarding Irish border

• 12th

House of Commons votes 391 to 242 against modified deal

• 13th

House of Commons votes 321 to 278 against leaving without a deal

• 14th

House of Commons votes 412 to 202 agreeing that the Government will ask the other governments for a postponement

• 18th

Speaker rules Government cannot resubmit deal to House

• 21st

leaders of EU governments agree to offer a short postponement

• 27th

in "indicative votes" organized by the House of Commons itself, not the Government, MPs vote against all 8 motions selected by the Speaker

postponement ratified by resolutions of the Commons (441 to 105) and Lords

• 29th

House of Commons votes 344 to 286 against withdrawal agreement severed from political declaration

April

• 1st

in more "indicative votes", MPs vote against all 4 motions selected by the Speaker

• 3rd

House of Commons passes (315 to 310 2nd reading, 313 to 312 3rd reading) a Bill giving the House of Commons the power to order the Prime Minister to request a postponement, and to specify the date to be named in that request

• 4th

2nd reading in House of Lords

• 8th

Amended in House of Lords; Commons accept Lords amendments; royal assent

• 11th

governments agree further postponement