UK formally leaves EU after four years of divisive vote

The United Kingdom has finally left the European Union’s economic and political orbit four years after a divisive vote in an historic departure that has split scores of Britons politically.

As it clocked 11 pm on Thursday (23:00 GMT), December 31, the Brexit transition period came to an end and the UK exited the bloc’s single market and customs union marking the country’s greatest shift on the global stage in modern times.

However, critics say the development reverses decades of integration with its closest neighbours and threaten to break up the UK, harm the country’s economy and diminish its international standing.

READ ALSO: UK, EU reach post-Brexit trade deal

“This is an amazing moment for this country,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in his New Year’s Eve message. “We have our freedom in our hands and it is up to us to make the most of it.”

This came after a post-Brexit trade deal thrashed out between Britain and the European Union, was voted in favour by the United Kingdom’s Parliament.

The agreement now puts into law the deal on a new relationship agreed between the 27-nation EU and the UK last week, was sanctioned on Wednesday which paved the way for an orderly and historic exit from the EU.

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