UK sees ‘new dawn’ amid EU farewell
■ This is not an end but a beginning: Boris Johnson
London, Jan. 31: Britain on Friday will end almost half-a-century of integration with its closest neighbours and leave the European Union, starting a new — but still uncertain — chapter in its long history.
As the clocks strike 11.00 pm — midnight in Brussels (2300 GMT) — Britain becomes the first country to leave the 28member bloc and goes it alone for the first time since 1973.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed Brexit since the 2016 referendum vote to leave that triggered bitterness and division, but he has promised to unite the country in a new era of prosperity. Official celebrations will be muted out of respect for half the population who wanted to stay in the EU and who remain fearful of what lies ahead. “Our job as the government, my job, is to bring this country together and take us forward,” Mr Johnson said in a statement to mark the historic occasion. He added: “This is not an end but a beginning. This is the moment when the dawn breaks and the curtain goes up on a new act.”
Nothing will immediately feel different thanks to an 11-month transition period negotiated as part of an EU-UK exit deal ratified this week. Britons will be able to work in and trade freely with EU nations until December 31, and vice versa, although the UK will no longer be represented in the bloc’s institutions.
But legally, Britain is out — with no easy way back.
London, Jan. 31: Britain’s Brexit-day front pages expressed both joy at the country’s imminent departure from the European Union and remorse and trepidation on Friday as the UK prepares to go it alone after nearly half a century as part of the bloc.
“Yes, we did it!” said the Daily Express tabloid, a fervent campaigner for Britain to leave the EU.
The headline was imposed over a map of the UK made up of front pages from the newspaper from the 43 months since the June 2016 vote, which saw three Brexit deadlines come and go before the British parliament finally ratified the divorce agreement. “A new dawn for Britain,” said its rival and fellow Brexit-supporting tabloid The Daily Mail.
“At 11 pm our proud nation finally leaves the EU - still a friend of Europe, but free and independent once more after 47 years.” The left-leaning Guardian was more circumspect, leading its front page with the words “Small Island” and describing Brexit as “the biggest gamble in a generation”.
“PM wants Canada-style trade deal with Brussels,” said the Times, leading with an article on Boris Johnson’s attempts to flesh out his ideas for a free trade agreement along the lines of a recent EU deal with Canada.
“Britain bows out of EU with a mixture of optimism and regret,” said The Financial Times.
“It’s been quite a ride,” splashed the business City AM paper over a mock-up of a roller coaster carriage filled with prominent faces from the Brexit saga.