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The stay of the United Kingdom in the European Union has always been con-
troversial. Many political parties and British national newspapers supported the UK
entry into the European Economic Community (EEC), a predecessor of the EU.
However, dispute over the UK leaving the EEC started as soon as Great Britain had
joined the Community in 1973. From time to time strikes due to power outage and
rising prices for oil products took place in the country.
Since the first years of the UK membership, Great Britain has been trying to
keep maximum independence in essential economic and political subjects. The coun-
try did not join the important integration projects such as the Schengen Agreement
(1995) on the elimination of visas and introduction of single European currency – Eu-
ro (1999).
Still British contribution in the European Union budget is one of the biggest
(approximately 11 billion euros per year) [1, 2]. This point became one of the main
arguments of referendum supporters (brexiters or brexiteers) who believe the UK
membership in the European Union to be too expensive.
The first referendum was held on June 5, 1975. In the 80s the United Kingdom
expressed dissatisfaction at unfair subsidies to British farmers. In 1988 in Bruges
College of Europe Prime Minister of Great Britain Margaret Thatcher delivered a
speech about the need of Great Britain to preserve its own traditions and to remain
sovereign, but she could not get in the way of the further political integration of Eu-
rope.
In 1997 Tony Blair became Prime Minister of Great Britain. He supported the
strengthening of relations with the European Union. He even made the case for
recognition of euro as the Single European currency.
In 2015 during his election campaign David Cameron promised that the United
Kingdom would leave the European Union. Polls also showed that most British peo-
ple chose Brexit.
Though Great Britain was ready to meet the European Union halfway. David
Cameron outlined his four goals for reforming the UK's membership of the EU:
1. Protection of the single market for Britain and other non-euro countries that
is official recognition of the EU as a «multi-currency» area, giving more protection to
non-euro countries like the UK.
2. Boosting competitiveness by setting a target for the reduction of the «bur-
den» of red tape. The UK wanted to extend the single market and cut down on exces-
sive regulation – commonly known by critics as «Brussels bureaucracy».
3. Exempting Britain from «ever-closer union» and bolstering national parlia-
ments. It would allow Britain to opt out of the EU's founding ambition to forge an
«ever closer union» of the peoples of Europe so it would not be drawn into further