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political integration. It would also give national parliaments more of a say in forming
EU laws.
4. Restricting EU migrants' access to in-work benefits such as tax credits. This
demand included cutting the current high levels of immigration from the EU by re-
ducing one of the major «pull factors» – access to in-work and out-of-work benefits
including housing subsidies.
The Prime Minister said he wanted the UK to stay in a reformed EU, but he did
not rule out recommending leaving if he could not secure the change with the leaders
of the other 27 EU countries.
On July 23, 2016 the EU referendum was held. The UK has voted to leave the
EU by 52% to 48%. England voted strongly for Brexit, by 53.4% to 46.6%, as did
Wales, with Leave getting 52.5% of the vote and Remain 47.5%. Scotland and
Northern Ireland both backed staying in the EU. Scotland backed Remain by 62% to
38%, while 55.8% in Northern Ireland voted Remain and 44.2% Leave. The referen-
dum turnout was 71.8%, with more than 30 million people voting [2].
For the UK to leave the EU it has to invoke an agreement called Article 50 of
the Lisbon Treaty which gives the two sides two years to agree the terms of the split.
Brexit is sure to have an impact on the economic relations of both the UK and
the EU. For instance, the United Kingdom will have a chokehold on the migration
process to prevent social explosion which has been brewing in the Europe Union
countries for some time. Britain also will set conditions for foreign investment.
The question about the further partnership of Great Britain with other countries
and cooperation with them at the political or economic level is not clear. Throughout
many centuries England was one of the largest states and the biggest colonizer in the
world. The total area of the United Kingdom and its colonies was 34 650 000 km
2
,
that is about 22% of the world land. England dictated the terms of economic and po-
litical development to all world from the beginning of the the Age of Exploration till
the end of World War II.
That is why the colonialist mentality of the United Kingdom cannot put up
with the redistribution of authority and the loss of many levers of influence that it
used to have. No wonder that during Britain’s EU membership the United Kingdom
was the most uncertain segment of the Union. Thus, in our opinion, it can be said that
Brexit was only a matter of time.
Литература
1. https://fullfact.org/europe/our-eu-membership-fee-55-million.
2. https://ria.ru/world/20160624/1450655984.html.
3. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-34779250.