Brexit Timeline: From 2013 Referendum Promise To A 2019 Election

Here is a timeline of key moments in the UK’s exit process from the European Union. It all started with David Cameron promising a referendum. There have been many resignations and tensions.
– January 23, 2013 – Under intense pressure from his MPs and the rise of Ukip in the UK, Prime Minister David Cameron has promised an in-out referendum about EU membership if the Conservatives win 2015’s general election. Cameron promises to campaign with “all of my heart and soul” to get Britain to vote Remain in the referendum. He said it would happen by 2017.
– May 7, 2015: The Tories surprise everyone and win a majority in Parliament. Cameron promises to keep his pledge for an EU referendum.
June 23, 2016: The UK votes to leave EU. This shock result saw 52% of the public vote for Brexit, a humiliating defeat that the Prime Minister suffered. Mr Cameron quickly resigned, saying that he didn’t believe it was right to try to steer the country to its next destination.
July 13, 2016: Theresa May becomes Prime Minister. She won a bitter selection battle over rivals like Boris Johnson and Michael Gove. Mrs May, who backed Remain, has pledged to “rise to face the challenge” of negotiating the UK’s exit.

(Hannah McKay/PA)
– November 10, 2016 The High Court rules against Government and orders Parliament to hold a vote in order to trigger Article 50, which is the mechanism that starts the EU’s exit. Mrs May claims that the ruling will not prevent her from invoking Article 50, the mechanism that begins the EU’s exit, by April 2017.
– Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union is activated by Mrs May on March 29, 2017. Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, said that Article 50’s triggering was not a happy occasion. He told a Brussels press conference that he felt the UK would be missed and that it was a sad occasion. We are sorry.
– April 18, 2017 – Mrs May announces that a snap general elections will be held on June 8th. She explained that the country was coming together, but Westminster is not. The Prime Minister stated that division in Westminster would compromise our ability to make Brexit a success.
June 8 and 9 2017, UK general elections. This results in a hung parliament. After her disastrous gamble in general elections, Mrs May is elected head of a minority Conservative government. She is supported by the Democratic Unionists.
– September 22, 2017
– December 8, 2017 – The European Commission announces that it will recommend to the European Council that “sufficient Progress” has been made during the first phase of Brexit negotiations. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, tells a press conference held in Brussels that negotiations were “difficult for the EU” and the UK.
After Mrs May and David Davis, the Brexit Secretary, made an early-hours trip to Brussels, the announcement was made. Mrs May stated that the Brexit deal was a significant improvement and required both give and take from both sides. She also said it would ensure that there is no hard border in Ireland.
– March 19, 2018: Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, says he and David Davis have taken a “decisive” step towards a common legal text for the UK’s EU exit. He acknowledged that there are still issues regarding the Irish border and said: “We’re not at the end of this road, and there’s still a lot to do.”
March 23, 2018 – The 27 remaining EU countries approve the negotiating guidelines for talks about Britain’s future trade, security and relations with its European neighbors follo