Today marks the day Prime Minister Theresa May announced she will be invoking Article 50 which will allow Great Britain to commence Brexit just eight months after 52% of British voters chose to exit the EU.
Article 50 is a clause in the Treaty of Lisbon signed in 2007 outlining the process by which EU member states can invoke to formally commence the process of exiting the union.
What happens after Article 50 is triggered?
Within a month the 27 leaders from the EU will hold a summit to discuss what they want out of Brexit negotiations. Theresa May and Great Britain will not be present at these discussions.
In May, the European Commission will publish negotiating guidelines after which negotiations will commence on subjects such as trade, immigration, foreign policy, laws and importantly the rights of Britons currently living in Europe as well as EU nationals living in the UK.
All 28 member states have to unanimously agree to the terms of any deal meaning the negotiations could take years, some experts predicting up to 10 years!
Whilst all the negotiating is going on Britain is still bound by the obligations and responsibilities of EU membership meaning we will still be in the single market and subject to all the EU laws and rules, including the freedom of movement.
