The United Kingdom has departed the European Union, marking 1,317 days since the country voted to leave in a 2016 referendum.
After receiving Queen Elizabeth II’s approval last Thursday, the Brexit bill became law, setting up the country’s departure from the EU.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted about the nation’s newly declared sovereignty: “Tonight we have left the EU — an extraordinary turning point in the life of this country. Let us come together now to make the most of all the opportunities Brexit will bring — and let’s unleash the potential of the whole UK.”
Tonight we have left the EU – an extraordinary turning point in the life of this country. Let us come together now to make the most of all the opportunities Brexit will bring – and let’s unleash the potential of the whole UK. ??
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 31, 2020
The prime minister also posted a video on social media where he spoke positively of Brexit: “This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act in our great national drama.”
Britain voted to leave the EU in a June 2016 referendum, but progress on approving a plan for the nation’s exit was stalled for more than three years. In October, Johnson, 55, secured a Brexit deal with the EU, but Parliament later blocked a vote on the deal, forcing the prime minister to ask the EU for another extension to pass it.
Johnson then called a December election in an effort to win enough conservative seats to get the deal passed. He led the Conservative Party to victory in the U.K.’s legislature, winning 80 seats and a Tory majority. A month later, members of Parliament passed the Withdrawal Agreement Act and sent it to the queen for approval.
The Brexit Bill has been given Royal Assent.
Watch the moment Deputy Speaker Nigel Evans announced it in the Commons ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/K9UQZIW8f1
— Department for Exiting the EU (@DExEUgov) January 23, 2020
