Four years on since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, we take a look back at the key events that led to Brexit, and how Londoners feel about the government’s handling of Brexit.
Timeline: key events that led to Brexit
2016
23 June: UK votes in referendum to leave the EU, by 52% to 48%.
24 June: Prime Minister David Cameron resigns
13 July: Theresa May then enters Number 10 after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest.
2 October: Prime Minister Theresa May gives a speech setting out her intention to trigger Article 50, which would formally start the exit process.
2017
29 March: Article 50 triggered. The date Britain will leave the EU is set to 29 March, 2019.
18 April: Theresa May announces shock snap general election.
8 June: Theresa May is forced to do a deal with the DUP after the Conservatives lose their majority at the general election.
17 July: official start of Brexit talks between UK and EU negotiators.
2018
19 March: UK and EU publish draft withdrawal agreement.
6 July: Theresa May unveils Chequers Plan to ministers, detailing a much softer Brexit than anticipated.
8 July: Only two days later, the UK’s Brexit Minister David Davis resigns, followed by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
21 September: the Chequers Plan is poorly received by EU leaders at Salzburg summit.
13 December: Theresa May survives a vote of confidence, but will step down before the next election.
2019
15 Jan: first meaningful vote in parliament on the Brexit deal. Government loses by 432 votes to 202, the worst defeat in parliamentary history.
12 March: Government loses second vote on the Brexit Deal, this time by 149 votes.
29 March: Government loses third vote on the Brexit Deal, by a margin of 58 votes.
5 April: Theresa May forced to write to President of the European Council Donald Tusk to request a further extension to Article 50.
21 May: Theresa May unveils a new Brexit deal, committing to stay aligned with Northern Ireland should the “backstop” come into force.
24 May: Theresa May announces she will resign on 7 June.
23 July: Boris Johnson wins the Conservative Party leadership race, defeating Jeremy Hunt.
25 July: Mr Johnson makes a statement committing to the October date for Brexit. But he refuses to rule out possibility of ‘No Deal’.
19 October: Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons. He is then forced to write to the President of the European Council Donald Tusk to ask for Brexit extension.
28 October: EU Ambassadors agree to Brexit extension. The leaving date is now 31 Jan 2020.
12 December: The Conservative Party wins large majority at the General Election. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledges to ‘get Brexit done’ by 31 Jan 2020.
2020
31 January: UK leaves the EU at 11pm and enters the transition period.
How do Londoners feel today about Brexit?
A YouGov Poll shows that since the UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, the majority of Londoners have felt that the government is handling Brexit ‘very badly’.
CHART HERE
In the first month after Brexit day, confidence seemed to increase – there was a downward trend in the proportion of Londoners believing that the government is handling Brexit very badly.
But after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the Coronavirus lockdown on 23 March, support for the government’s handling of Brexit started to fall once again.
This seems to reflect the current national trend, with an increasing proportion of the population believing that the government is handling the Brexit issue ‘badly’.
Brexit negotiations are ongoing, but have been taking place via video link because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
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Standfirst
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HeadlineBrexit Anniversary: key events of the past four years
Short HeadlineBrexit: four years on since vote to leave
StandfirstThe UK voted to leave the EU by 52% to 48% on 23 June 2016.
Four years on since the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union, we take a look back at the key events that led to Brexit, and how Londoners feel about the government’s handling of Brexit.
Timeline: key events that led to Brexit
2016
23 June: UK votes in referendum to leave the EU, by 52% to 48%.
24 June: Prime Minister David Cameron resigns
13 July: Theresa May then enters Number 10 after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest.
2 October: Prime Minister Theresa May gives a speech setting out her intention to trigger Article 50, which would formally start the exit process.
2017
29 March: Article 50 triggered. The date Britain will leave the EU is set to 29 March, 2019.
18 April: Theresa May announces shock snap general election.
8 June: Theresa May is forced to do a deal with the DUP after the Conservatives lose their majority at the general election.
17 July: official start of Brexit talks between UK and EU negotiators.
2018
19 March: UK and EU publish draft withdrawal agreement.
6 July: Theresa May unveils Chequers Plan to ministers, detailing a much softer Brexit than anticipated.
8 July: Only two days later, the UK’s Brexit Minister David Davis resigns, followed by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson.
21 September: the Chequers Plan is poorly received by EU leaders at Salzburg summit.
13 December: Theresa May survives a vote of confidence, but will step down before the next election.
2019
15 Jan: first meaningful vote in parliament on the Brexit deal. Government loses by 432 votes to 202, the worst defeat in parliamentary history.
12 March: Government loses second vote on the Brexit Deal, this time by 149 votes.
29 March: Government loses third vote on the Brexit Deal, by a margin of 58 votes.
5 April: Theresa May forced to write to President of the European Council Donald Tusk to request a further extension to Article 50.
21 May: Theresa May unveils a new Brexit deal, committing to stay aligned with Northern Ireland should the “backstop” come into force.
24 May: Theresa May announces she will resign on 7 June.
23 July: Boris Johnson wins the Conservative Party leadership race, defeating Jeremy Hunt.
25 July: Mr Johnson makes a statement committing to the October date for Brexit. But he refuses to rule out possibility of ‘No Deal’.
19 October: Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons. He is then forced to write to the President of the European Council Donald Tusk to ask for Brexit extension.
28 October: EU Ambassadors agree to Brexit extension. The leaving date is now 31 Jan 2020.
12 December: The Conservative Party wins large majority at the General Election. Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledges to ‘get Brexit done’ by 31 Jan 2020.
2020
31 January: UK leaves the EU at 11pm and enters the transition period.
How do Londoners feel today about Brexit?
A YouGov Poll shows that since the UK officially left the EU on 31 January 2020, the majority of Londoners have felt that the government is handling Brexit ‘very badly’.
CHART HERE
In the first month after Brexit day, confidence seemed to increase – there was a downward trend in the proportion of Londoners believing that the government is handling Brexit very badly.
But after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the Coronavirus lockdown on 23 March, support for the government’s handling of Brexit started to fall once again.
This seems to reflect the current national trend, with an increasing proportion of the population believing that the government is handling the Brexit issue ‘badly’.
Brexit negotiations are ongoing, but have been taking place via video link because of the Coronavirus pandemic.
