The United Kingdom European Union (EU)membership referendum took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate if the country should remain a member of the European Union (EU) or leave it. It was called by the Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron as a result of an electoral promise.
Nationally the referendum resulted in 51.9% of votes being in favour of leaving the EU (17,410,742 votes) and 48.1% of votes in favour of remaining in the EU (16,141,241).
Locally the referendum resulted in 60.89% (53 216 ) of votes being to leave against 39.11% (34 176) of votes to remain in the EU.
Although not legally binding the government had promised to implement the result of the referendum.
On 29 March 2017, the Government of the United Kingdom under Prime Minister Theresa May invoked Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, meaning that the UK was due to leave the EU before 11PM on 29 March 2019, when the two-year period for Brexit (Britain's exit) negotiations expired. This did not happen as no deal was reached on the 'divorce' agreement. and an extension was agreed.
The final deadline for leaving the EU was 31 January 2020.
The Brexit Party, formed to ensure Britain's departure from the EU came second in the 2019 Peterborough by-election.
