[Text on screen]: Article 50 was triggered one year ago. So what’s happened over the past 12 months?
Brexit: Where are we now?
When Theresa May triggered Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, Britain started negotiations with the rest of the EU. Any exit deal must be approved by at least 20 of the remaining 27 EU states and negotiations can only be extended past 2 years if every member state agrees.
Phase one of negotiations ended on 15th December 2017. The UK agreed no hard border in Ireland, and the whole UK will leave the customs union and EU citizens resident 5 years by March 2019 can stay.
In March 2018 the UK agreed to a 21-month transition period after Brexit offering a certain amount of stability once we leave the EU. The deal means that Britain will continue to apply EU law post-Brexit but no longer have any input on how the laws are developed and applied. It was also agreed that EU citizens arriving in the UK during this time will enjoy the same rights as those who arrived before Brexit.
Exactly what Brexit will mean for our human rights is still unclear. The government still plans to exit the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, which could put many of our rights protections at risk.
The charter safeguards our right to dignity and offers personal data protection as well as rights for workers, women, children, the elderly, LGBT+people and disabled people.
After Brexit, we will still be protected by the Human Rights Act, but the charter offers certain protections we don’t get anywhere else.
With a year until we leave the EU, most decisions have still to be made. In this uncertain time we need to be vigilant about our rights. More than ever we need to know, celebrate and protect our rights.
