1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
Live TV
Latest audioLatest videos
In focus
Middle EastUS election Ukraine
The UK and two EU flags in front of the European Commission headquarters in Brussels
Image: Reuters/Y. HermanImage: Reuters/Y. Herman

Brexit

A referendum on Britain's EU membership in June 2016 showed 52% in favor of leaving the bloc. The result was implemented on January 31, 2020, when the UK stopped being a member of the EU.

Skip next section All Content on this topic

All Content on this topic

Violence in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland: Protesters burn bus in Belfast

Crowds in the northern Irish city of Belfast set a hijacked bus on fire with petrol bombs as violence continued.
ConflictsApril 8, 2021
external

Amsterdam is Europe's share trading hub

As a consequence of Brexit share trading is flowing away from the City of London, and Amsterdam is benefiting.
BusinessMarch 18, 202102:42 min
An official checks a motorist as truckers carrying freight from Scotland disembark a ferry at the Port of Larne in County Antrim, Northern Ireland on January 1, 2021.

Brexit: EU takes legal action against UK over N. Ireland

The United Kingdom extended a grace period allowing easier exports to Northern Ireland — without consulting Brussels.
PoliticsMarch 15, 2021
A ferry from Scotland crosses the Irish Sea, sailing towards the port at Larne on the north coast of Northern Ireland

Will the UK tunnel from N. Ireland to Scotland?

Many have rejected the idea of a tunnel linking Britain with Northern Ireland as a fantasy, but the idea is still alive.
BusinessMarch 11, 2021
A man walks past Loyalist paramilitary mural in the Shankill Road a predominantly loyalist area in Belfast, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland loyalists pull support for Good Friday deal

UK loyalist paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland have reportedly withdrawn support for the 1998 Belfast Agreement.
PoliticsMarch 4, 2021
A queue of trucks and freight vehicles at the port of Dover in Southeast England. Archive image from December 2020.

Brexit hits German exports to the UK

German exports to the UK fall due to Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic, the country's statistics office says.
BusinessMarch 2, 2021
Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster

N. Ireland party files legal bid to scrap Brexit protocol

The Democratic Unionist Party blames a Brexit protocol for disrupting trade and triggering food shortages.
SocietyFebruary 22, 2021
Serge Gnabry chests the ball down in a Bundesliga game for Bayern Munich

How Brexit will 'change the landscape of youth players'

Beyond its political and societal impact, Brexit will have a profound effect on the movement of young footballers.
SportsFebruary 15, 2021
File photo dated 31/12/20 of a lorry boarding a ferry at Larne Port, Northern Ireland

UK, EU hold 'frank discussion' over N. Ireland

UK and EU officials described talks as "constructive" after tensions were raised over the Northern Ireland border.
PoliticsFebruary 12, 2021
Graffiti in Belfast saying "No Irish Sea Boder"

Northern Ireland: Brexit's legacy problem

Northern Ireland dominated Brexit negotiations for years and remains a highly contentious element of EU-UK relations.
BusinessFebruary 10, 2021
A British Royal Navy flag

Can the UK's new Indo-Pacific strategy succeed?

The UK's ambition for a "global Britain" that is more involved in Asian affairs is likely to be met with big challenges.
PoliticsFebruary 5, 2021
An official checks a motorist as truckers disembark a ferry at the Port of Larne, Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland halts border checks after threats

A post-Brexit "upsurge in sinister and menacing behavior" caused two ports in Northern Ireland to pull their staff.
PoliticsFebruary 2, 2021
British PM Boris Johnson

UK to apply to join trans-Pacific free trade bloc

After its exit from the EU, the United Kingdom is seeking to be part of the Pacific free trade area.
PoliticsJanuary 31, 2021
DUP leader Arlene Foster speaks at a Bruges Group event during the Conservative Party annual conference

Northern Ireland leader urges removal of Brexit protocol

Northern Ireland's First Minister Arlene Foster called the measure "unworkable" after it became the focus of a spat.
PoliticsJanuary 30, 2021
The EU earlier justified the "safeguard measure" as an attempt to keep member states' vaccine rollouts on track

EU says won't restrict vaccine exports across Irish border

The EU will not trigger an emergency override clause that sent alarm bells ringing across Belfast, Dublin and London.
PoliticsJanuary 30, 2021
Inside Europe Teaser

Inside Europe 22.01.2021

Germany extends the COVID lockdown - Germany's governing CDU party chooses a new leader - Alexei Navalny releases 'Putin's palace' video - Brexit trade deal causes border delays and bureaucracy - The Dutch government resigns over a child benefits sandal - How COVID-19 impacts businesses in Rome - Finland plans to criminalize unsolicited sexting - Eco-tourism in Spain
PoliticsJanuary 22, 202154:59 min
EU and UK flags

UK could deny EU envoy full diplomatic status

Britain's government may not grant the EU ambassador full diplomatic status, as the bloc is not a nation-state.
PoliticsJanuary 21, 2021
Symbolic image of Brexit

Why is Boris Johnson so economical with the truth?

DW's Conflict Zone met top Tory lawmaker Andrew Bowie, who insisted the PM showed no "contempt for the British public."
PoliticsJanuary 20, 2021
Travelers in masks and plastic suits prepare to travel from Edinburgh airport

COVID plus Brexit: Quarantine, paperwork and stress

Traveling as COVID numbers surge, just days after your right of free movement has been removed, may not be wise.
TravelJanuary 19, 2021
A Brexit supporter dressed in the colors of the Union Jack

UK-Africa trade: What will Brexit change?

With its new trade deals failing to offer African nations much extra, the UK is falling behind as a key trading partner.
PoliticsJanuary 18, 2021
Sir Simon Rattle, a long-time Berlin resident, has applied for German citizenship

Sir Simon Rattle seeks German citizenship

Rattle, 65, has long been a staunch critic of Brexit, calling the UK's vote to leave the EU a "terrible mistake".
MusicJanuary 15, 2021
A truck with a DB Schenker logo pictured in Bavaria

DB Schenker temporarily halts deliveries to UK

The logistics company said that Brexit-caused paperwork was placing a massive strain on their UK staff.
BusinessJanuary 13, 2021
Empty shelves at a branch of Marks & Spencer's supermarket in Belfast

Gove: Trade issues to 'get worse,' then better

UK's Michael Gove has said that post-Brexit trade disruptions will get worse still.
PoliticsJanuary 9, 2021
A star from the EU flag moving out of the circle on a computer screen

Pro-Brexit lobby group Leave.eu joins the EU

The .eu suffix is reserved for European Union citizens and entities, which now excludes 80,000 British websites.
TechnologyJanuary 7, 2021
England | Felder | Peak District

Greener pastures post-Brexit, invisible waste & online abuse

This week — new funding for UK farms, the environmental toll of consumption and the emotional toll of online activism.
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 7, 202129:59 min
To the Point TTP Sendung

Brexit: Can the UK really go it alone?

For the first time, a member nation has left the European Union. But can the UK really go it alone?
PoliticsJanuary 7, 202126:01 min
BdTD England Landwirtschaft

Greening farming in the UK after Brexit

It's the biggest shake-up to English agriculture in a generation. As millions of pounds of EU farming subsidies come to an end, English farms will now have to apply for grants to help with carbon capture, improved animal welfare and implementing environmentally-beneficial projects. But will the new scheme work?
Nature and EnvironmentJanuary 7, 202108:27 min
A picture showing the British, Gibraltar and European Union flags fluttering besides the Spanish flag as people cross the frontier from Spain into Gibraltar.

Why the British won't ditch Spain after Brexit

Brexit has made the lives of UK expats in Spain more difficult, with the exception of those in Gibraltar.
BusinessJanuary 6, 2021
Elfenbeinküste Abidjan | Coronavirus | Handelsbeziehungen

Brexit: What's at stake for Africa?

The impact of Brexit on UK-Africa relationship
TradeJanuary 5, 202104:47 min
Trucks driving onto a ferry in Calais

Brexit: Truck drivers face new customs challenges

The chaos feared after the UK's final exit from the EU has not yet happened, as Bernd Riegert reports from Calais.
PoliticsJanuary 2, 2021
London's Big Ben showing 11 p.m.

New Year brings final Brexit split between EU and UK

Britain's Brexit transition period is over; the country has left the EU's Customs Union and Single Market.
PoliticsJanuary 1, 2021
external

First post-Brexit trucks pass Eurotunnel

Britain is out of the EU and changes are already being felt at the Eurotunnel, one the main trade routes to Europe.
BusinessJanuary 1, 202101:48 min
external

A bad catch for Europe's fishermen

Even before the first post-Brexit catch, German fishermen are disillusioned and uncertain with the new EU-UK trade deal.
BusinessJanuary 1, 202102:24 min
Stanley Johnson, father of Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson, is seen in Westminster

Boris Johnson's father to apply for French citizenship

Stanley Johnson, the father of UK PM Boris, says he'll apply for French citizenship in the wake of Britain's EU exit.
PoliticsDecember 31, 2020
The border between Spain and Gibraltar was closed from 1969 to 1985

Brexit: Gibraltar to join Schengen in last-minute deal

Gibraltar is set to become a part of the Schengen zone to ensure fluidity of movement at the border with Spain.
PoliticsDecember 31, 2020
Fishing bait is unloaded at Bridlington Harbour fishing port in Yorkshire

UK fisheries unhappy with trade deal

British fishers are less than delighted about Boris Johnson's EU-UK trade deal.
BusinessDecember 31, 2020
Woman looking at City of London skyline

What next for the City of London after Brexit?

The UK-EU trade deal did little to bolster Britain's financial services sector, a major contributor to its economy.
BusinessDecember 31, 2020
external

Businesses hedged their bets among Brexit uncertainty

Brexit uncertainty has caused a British businessman to hedge his bets at home and expand into the EU.
BusinessDecember 31, 202002:40 min
The sun sets behind the Victoria Tower at the Palace of Westminster

EU-UK Brexit trade deal signed into law

The British Parliament voted for an EU-UK trade deal to avert the feared prospect of a cliff-edge no-deal Brexit.
PoliticsDecember 31, 2020
A Union Jack flag hangs outside of a storefront in Gibraltar

Spain-Gibraltar risk 'hard border' amid last-minute talks

Governments are negotiating against the clock to save traffic between Spain and the British territory Gibraltar.
PoliticsDecember 30, 2020
external

Markets rally on US stimulus and Brexit deal

From Germany's DAX to Wall Street and Tokyo, stocks are hitting record highs. How long will the party last?
BusinessDecember 29, 202001:14 min
external

UK business prepare for new trade arrangement

Many British businesses fear the impact of the new Brexit rules, especially since they only have days to prepare.
BusinessDecember 29, 202001:25 min
Michel Barnier

EU starts Brexit deal signoff

The agreement will apply on a provisional basis, with EU lawmakers set to vote on the deal early next year.
PoliticsDecember 28, 2020
A mural by British artist Banksy, depicting a workman chipping away at one of the stars on a European Union themed flag

What's in the EU-UK Brexit trade deal?

The Brexit trade agreement is meant to ensure the UK's smooth departure from one of the world's biggest trading blocs.
PoliticsDecember 26, 20209 images
Boris Johnson, Michel Barnier and Ursula von Der Leyen

EU, UK publish Brexit trade agreement

The deal sees the United Kingdom leaving the bloc with unprecedented tariff-free access to the single market.
PoliticsDecember 26, 2020
Queen Elizabeth II

UK: Queen praises people's 'indomitable spirit'

Britain's Queen Elizabeth II has made the challenges of the pandemic the focus of her Christmas Day speech.
SocietyDecember 25, 2020
Bernd Riegert

Even with a deal, Brexit remains a sham

Bernd Riegert
The UK's exit from the EU won't be quite as hard as some had feared. Nevertheless, the move remains a historic mistake.
PoliticsDecember 25, 2020
EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier

Brexit: EU diplomats briefed on UK trade deal

If the 27 ambassadors approve, all that remains is for the European and UK parliaments to ratify the agreement.
PoliticsDecember 25, 2020
A woman and her child watch the stranded trucks from a bridge

UK port chaos: Truckers face roadside Christmas

Thousands of truck drivers remain stuck in southeastern England waiting to cross the English Channel to France.
PoliticsDecember 25, 2020
The post-Brexit trade deal still faces several hurdles both in EU capitals and London

Brexit trade deal: What happens next?

The EU and UK have pulled off a free trade deal, but it still faces several hurdles in the UK and EU parliaments.
PoliticsDecember 25, 2020