Britterna pressat av stort behov av handelsexperter

The United Kingdom (UK) intends to withdraw from the European Union (EU), a process commonly known as Brexit, as a result of the June 2016 referendum in which 51.9% of those who turned out voted to leave the EU. The term Brexit is a portmanteau of the words British and exit. On 2 October 2016, the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced that she intended to invoke Article 50 by the end of March 2017, meaning that the UK would be on a course to leave the EU by the end of March 2019. The terms of withdrawal have not been established; however, May has promised a bill to remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book and to incorporate existing EU laws into UK domestic law. In the meantime, the UK remains a full member of the European Union. Since 2007, the process of withdrawal from the European Union has been governed by Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. No member state has ever left the EU. Under Article 50, the withdrawal must be in accordance with the member state's constitution, and uncertainty exists as to the constitutional requirements in the UK. Unless the Council of the European Union unanimously agrees to extensions, the timing for the UK leaving under the article is two years from when the country gives official notice to the EU. The assumption is that new agreements will be negotiated during the two-year window, but there is no legal requirement that agreements have to be made. Some aspects, such as new trade agreements, may be difficult to negotiate until after the UK has formally left the EU. Withdrawal has been the goal of various individuals, advocacy groups, and political parties since the UK joined the European Economic Community (EEC), the predecessor of the EU, in 1973, though continued membership of the EEC and the Common Market was approved in a 1975 referendum by 67.3% of the votes.

The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) is the UK government department responsible for overseeing negotiations relating to the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union and establishing the future relationship between the UK and the EU. It was formed by the Prime Minister, Theresa May, in 2016, in the wake of the referendum vote to leave the European Union. The department was formed by combining staff from the Cabinet Office’s Europe Unit, the Europe Directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the UK’s Permanent Representation to the EU, and may take on staff from other government departments as necessary. The department is overseen by the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, David Davis MP.