London: The U.K has officially left the European Union on Friday after 47 years of membership and more than three years after it voted to do so in a referendum.
The U.K.’s departure happened at 11 pm (GMT), in Brussels, where the EU is headquartered.
In a message released on social media an hour before the UK’s departure, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said, “For many people this is an astonishing moment of hope, a moment they thought would never come.And there are many of course who feel a sense of anxiety and loss. And then of course there is a third group – perhaps the biggest – who had started to worry that the whole political wrangle would never come to an end. I understand all those feelings and our job as the government – my job – is to bring this country together now and take us forward.”
The Brexit supporters held parties in pubs and social clubs across the UK to celebrate, when the country was about to depart.
The Brexit has given a start of a “transition period” in which the U.K. remains a member of the single market and customs union and begins negotiations with the EU to strike a free-trade deal. During the transition period, the U.K. will not have voting rights on EU matters but will still be bound by EU rules, cited CNBC.