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Who hasn't heard of Brexit?
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The U.K.'s decision to leave the European Union has dominated debates here in Parliament,
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discussions at work, dinners with friends, and much of the media coverage.
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The Brexit vote has shaken modern politics forever, with the U.K. set to be the first country to leave the Union.
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But after more than 40 years of membership, how did we get here?
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We need to rewind back to 1961 when the U.K. applied to be a member of the European Union for the first time.
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Back then, the block was called the European Economic Community, otherwise known as the common market.
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Its aim was to bring about economic integration.
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But the U.K.'s inclusion in the common market faced some opposition from within the group, mainly from the French.
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President Charles de Gaulle vetoed the U.K.'s application in 1963 and again in 1967.
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He doubted Britain's commitment to the union's political objectives
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and believed its economy wasn't compatible with those of its six existing members.
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The U.K.'s “special relationship” with the U.S. was also a concern for him,
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worrying the partnership would get in the way of building a strong Europe.
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But in 1969 France elected a new president and the U.K. succeeded in joining the group in 1973.
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But just two years after joining, the U.K. held a referendum on whether it should remain in the European Economic Community.
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Back then, 67% of voters favored continued membership.
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In the years that followed, the European Union transformed from a trade arrangement to more of a political alliance, giving Brussels increasing influence over other areas of policy.
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But the U.K. was still able to negotiate with the European Union on the terms of its ongoing membership.
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In 1984 Margaret Thatcher managed to broker a deal, commonly referred to as the rebate,
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which reduced the U.K.'s financial contribution to the European budget by billions.
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This arrangement was exclusive to the U.K. and is still in place today.
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The U.K. has also benefited from so-called opt-outs,
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which essentially means the U.K. does not have to participate in certain European policies.
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For example, the U.K. didn't join the Schengen Area in 1985, maintaining a border that has passport controls.
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The U.K. also opted out of a monetary union in 1992, keeping its currency, the pound sterling, instead of the euro.
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The introduction of the euro was part of a wide-ranging agreement called the Maastricht Treaty.
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Signed by the U.K. along with 11 other member states, it expanded the EU's remit as an economic community to include foreign affairs, justice and policing.
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Ultimately it was the framework for the modern EU, but for Eurosceptics,
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it was an unacceptable transfer of powers from the U.K. parliament to Brussels and threatened further divisions in the Conservative government.
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However, a long period of economic growth under pro-European Prime Ministers maintained enough support for the EU and the single market,
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meaning that calls for another EU referendum were put on the backburner for nearly 20 years.
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Nonetheless, there was growing dissatisfaction with the level of bureaucracy in Europe.
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In 2004, the entry of 10 new countries into the EU also led to more questions in the U.K. about the country's level of immigration.
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In the 10 years that followed, the number of EU migrants living in the U.K. almost doubled.
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This, along with the fall in household incomes after the 2008 financial crash, has been seen by some as contributing to a groundswell of resentment toward European migrants,
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something that the major political parties were slow to recognize and respond to.
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As a result, support for the anti-European party UKIP and its leader Nigel Farage started to grow rapidly.
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By 2014 some surveys suggested that the party was being supported by up to 16% of the electorate.
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Many Conservative party candidates were concerned about their supporters switching allegiance to UKIP
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and pleaded with Prime Minister David Cameron to promise an EU referendum in his campaign manifesto.
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To avoid the risk of defections from within his own party,
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he did and the Conservatives won the election with an overall majority.
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As divisions within the party started to become more evident, Cameron promised a referendum by the end of 2017.
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But first, he tried re-negotiating with the EU some of the terms of Britain's membership.
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He emerged from the talks with a deal, but that wasn't enough to convince Eurosceptics.
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For many, the process gave the impression that Brussels was inflexible and unwilling to make big concessions to keep Britain in the union.
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So Prime Minister David Cameron had to deliver on his manifesto promise and set a date for a referendum,
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the 23rd June 2016 with a simple question, whether to remain in or leave the European Union.
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And I will go to Parliament and propose that the British people decide our future in Europe.
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Hi guys, thank you so much for watching.
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