Glossary of Brexit terms#Brexshit

;{{vanchor|Article 50||text=Article 50}}:Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union specifies the procedure of withdrawing from the European Union. It was introduced in the Treaty of Lisbon from 2009. Under the process, once the formal notification has been sent, the withdrawing state and the European Union have a two-year deadline to negotiate a withdrawal agreement. After that time, unless an extension has been agreed or the withdrawing state revokes its intention to withdraw, the membership ends regardless of whether or not an agreement was reached. If an agreement has been reached before the deadline, the withdrawing state may end their membership at any time before the deadline. On 29 March 2017, UK Prime Minister Theresa May triggered the procedure.{{Cite web|url=http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7840/CBP-7840.pdf|title=Brexit Glossary|date=17 December 2019|editor-last=Gadd|editor-first=Eleanor|website=House of Commons Library|access-date=2 January 2020}}

;{{vanchor|Australian-style deal}}:A euphemism popularised by Boris Johnson to refer to a no-deal Brexit in which the United Kingdom would be placed in the same position in relation to the European Union as Australia which does not possess an existing trade agreement.{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/dec/04/what-is-happening-in-the-brexit-talks-trade-security-negotiations-eu-uk|title=What is happening in the Brexit talks?|date=4 December 2020|access-date=4 December 2020|work=The Guardian|first=Daniel|last=Boffey}} The term WTO rules has a similar meaning referring to the default provisions governing international trade under rules set by the World Trade Organization (WTO).

;{{vanchor|Backstop}}:See Irish backstop

;{{vanchor|Blind Brexit}}:A scenario where the UK leaves the EU without clarity on the terms of a future trade deal.{{cite news |last=Blitz |first=James |title=The danger of a 'blind Brexit' |url=https://www.ft.com/content/5894591a-b1c7-11e8-8d14-6f049d06439c |work=Financial Times |date=6 September 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018}}{{cite news |last=Castle |first=Stephen |title=As Britain's departure nears, talk grows of a 'blind Brexit'. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/world/europe/blind-brexit-theresa-may-european-union.html |work=The New York Times |page=A10 |date=20 September 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018}} EU and British negotiators would then have until 31 December 2020 to complete a future trade deal. During this transition period the UK would effectively be treated as an EU member in many areas, but with the right to negotiate international trade agreements and no voting rights in the EU.{{cite news |last=Boffey |first=Daniel |title=Emmanuel Macron stresses opposition to 'blind Brexit' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/sep/03/emmanuel-macron-stresses-opposition-to-blind-brexit |work=The Guardian |date=3 September 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018}}{{cite news |last=Bevington |first= Matthew |title=Why talk is growing around "blind Brexit" |url=https://prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/why-talk-is-growing-around-blind-brexit |work=Prospect |date=19 September 2018 |access-date=6 October 2018}} Also known as a "Blindfold Brexit".

;{{vanchor|Bregret}}: A portmanteau of "Brexit" and "regret"; used by people who voted in favour of the Brexit referendum, but now express regret after seeing the aftereffects.[https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/03/brits-are-suffering-bregret-but-brexit-is-no-longer-a-priority-data.html 'Bregret'? Many Brits are suffering from Brexit regret], CNBC, 3 March 2023

;{{vanchor|Bremain}}: A portmanteau of "British" and "remain"; used to refer to the option in the 2016 referendum to remain in the EU.{{cite journal|first=Richard G.|last=Whitman|title=Brexit or Bremain: what future for the UK's European diplomatic strategy?|journal=International Affairs|volume=92|issue=3|year=2016|pages=509–529|doi=10.1111/1468-2346.12607|doi-access=free}}{{cite web|url=https://www.soci.org/chemistry-and-industry/cni-data/2015/11/brexit-or-bremain|title=Brexit or Bremain?|first1=Martin|last1=Rees|first2=Katherine|last2=Wakeham|website=Society of Chemical Industry|year=2015}}{{cite report|url=https://openaccess.city.ac.uk/id/eprint/14896/1/FRC%20Brexit%2007%2003%2016.pdf|first1=Tim|last1=Lang|first2=Victoria|last2=Schoen|title=Food, the UK and the EU: Brexit or Bremain?|year=2016|publisher=Food Research Collaboration}}

;{{vanchor|Breturn}}:A portmanteau of "British" and "return"; used by opponents of Brexit to describe a potential reversal of the referendum and rejoining of the EU at some point in the future.[https://www.cityam.com/brexit-vote-five-years-on-we-would-welcome-uk-back-say-europeans/ Brexit vote five years on: We would take UK back, say Europeans], City AM, 25 June 2021

;{{vanchor|Brexit|Brixit|text=Brexit}}: Brexit (like its early variant, Brixit){{cite news |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/bagehot/2012/06/britain-and-eu-0 |title=Britain and the EU: A Brixit looms |date=21 June 2012 |newspaper=The Economist|access-date=25 June 2016}} is a portmanteau of "British" and "exit". Grammatically, it has been called a complex nominal.{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20190314-how-brexit-changed-the-english-language |title=How Brexit changed the English language |last=Ro |first=Christine |date=14 March 2019 |website=www.bbc.com |language=en |access-date=11 April 2019}} The first attestation in the Oxford English Dictionary is a Euractiv blog post by Peter Wilding on 15 May 2012.{{cite web |url=http://blogactiv.eu/blog/2012/05/15/stumbling-towards-the-brexit/ |title=Stumbling towards the Brexit |author-first=Peter |author-last=Wilding |date=15 May 2012 |work=BlogActiv.eu |access-date=22 July 2016 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403045331/https://blogactiv.eu/blog/2012/05/15/stumbling-towards-the-brexit/ |url-status=dead }}{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/coining-catchy-brexit-term-helped-brits-determine-eu-vote-article-1.2690231 |title=Coining catchy "Brexit" term helped Brits determine EU vote|author-first=Paul|author-last=Friederichsen |date=27 June 2016 |work=New York Daily News|location=New York|access-date=22 July 2016}} It was coined by analogy with "Grexit", attested on 6 February 2012 to refer to a hypothetical withdrawal of Greece from the eurozone (and possibly the EU altogether, although there was never a clear popular mandate for it).{{cite news |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-06-28/economist-who-coined-grexit-now-says-greece-will-stay-in-euro |title=Economist Who Coined 'Grexit' Now Says Greece Will Stay in Euro |first=Flavia |last=Krause-Jackson |work=Bloomberg Business |date=28 June 2015}}; {{cite news |url=http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9e59bcfc-4b74-11e2-88b5-00144feab49a.html#axzz3jdOE1rxd |title=A year in a word: Grexit |first=Ralph |last=Atkins |work=Financial Times |date=23 December 2012}}; {{cite web |url=https://blog.citifirst.com/grexit---wer-hats-erfunden |title='Grexit' –Wer hat's erfunden? |work=citifirst.com}}{{cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/02/22/explainer-what-when-and-why-brexit/80723334/ |title=Explainer: The what, when, and why of "Brexit" |work=USA Today |access-date=25 June 2016 |author1-first=Kim |author1-last=Hjelmgaard |author2-first=Jane |author2-last=Onyanga-Omara |date=22 February 2016}}"Brexit, n." OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2017. Web. 9 May 2017. The UK membership of the European Union ended at 11 p.m. GMT on 31 January 2020, when a transition period began until the end of 2020 for UK and EU to negotiate further treaty arrangements in respect of their future trading relationship.[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-47213842 BBC News, 1 February 2020]

;{{vanchor|Brexit day}}

{{See also|#Exit day}}

:31 January 2020, the day the UK ceased to be a member of the EU. The date was originally set for 29 March 2019 at 11 p.m. GMT, but was moved three times: first to either 12 April or 22 May, depending on whether or not a withdrawal agreement was ratified; then to 1 July or 31 October, depending on whether or not the UK held European Parliament elections; and finally to 31 January 2020.{{Cite web|url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/article-50-options|title=Article 50 extension|last=Wright|first=Georgina|date=29 October 2019|website=Institute for Government|access-date=27 December 2019}}

;{{anchor|Brexiteer|Brexiteers|Brexiter|Brexiters}}Brexiteer/Brexiter:See Leaver

;{{vanchor|Brextremist|Brextremists}}: portmanteau of "Brexiter" and "Extremist", a pejorative term used by some outlets to describe Leavers of an overzealous, uncompromising disposition.{{cite news |title=The lexicon of leaving: AP demystifies UK's Brexit jargon |url=https://www.apnews.com/62aafd96d6264fc28ed90455fedc2f4b |access-date=16 March 2019 |work=Associated Press |date=29 January 2019 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=MacIntyre-Kemp |first1=Gordon |title=Why the Brextremist position has hallmarks of a religion |url=https://www.thenational.scot/news/17005402.why-the-brextremist-position-has-hallmarks-of-a-religion/ |access-date=16 March 2019 |work=The National |date=25 October 2018 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Maguire |first1=Kevin |title=Commons Confidential: The Labour plotters' table |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2019/02/commons-confidential-labour-plotters-table |access-date=16 March 2019 |work=www.newstatesman.com |date=13 February 2019 |language=en |quote=Brextremist bore Peter Bone's tea room hissy fit during a discussion of the details of Theresa May's bad plan confirmed that leaving is a religion for the headbangers' headbanger. As Tory colleagues discussed trade and the backstop, Bone-head startled MPs sitting nearby by raising his arms in the air and wailing: "I don't care. I don't care. I just want to leave."}}

;{{vanchor|Brexshit}}

:A derogatory variant of Brexit, used chiefly by its opponents.{{cite news |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2016/06/how-call-bullshit-eu-referendum-campaign-claims |title=How to call bullshit on EU referendum campaign claims |first=Andre |last=Spicer |author-link=André Spicer |work=New Statesman |date=16 June 2016 |access-date=31 March 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://www.cjr.org/the_media_today/brexit_theresa_may_newspapers.php |title=Britain's partisan press takes aim at the 'Brexshit' |first=Jon |last=Allsop |work=Columbia Journalism Review |date=16 November 2018 |access-date=31 March 2020}}{{cite news |url=https://www.thelocal.de/20190116/germany-reacts-to-brexit-deal-defeat |title='What a Brexshit!': How Germany is reacting to the Brexit deal defeat |author=AFP/DPA |work=The Local |date=16 January 2019 |access-date=3 March 2020}} It is a portmanteau of the terms Brexit and shit (a profane word referring to faeces).

;{{vanchor|Brextension}}: A word coined to describe the extension granted until 31 January 2020 (a portmanteau of Brexit and extension).{{Cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets-themes-idUKKBN1X41Q8|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025205153/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-global-markets-themes-idUKKBN1X41Q8|url-status=dead|archive-date=25 October 2019|title=Take Five: Brextension, Brelection, Brextinction|newspaper=Reuters|date=25 October 2019|via=uk.reuters.com}}

;{{vanchor|Canada plus/Canada model}}:This is shorthand for a proposal in which the UK signs a free trade agreement with the EU. This would allow the UK to control its own trade policy as opposed to jointly negotiating alongside the EU, but would require rules of origin agreements to be reached for UK–EU trade. It is likely this would lead to UK–EU trade being less "free" than joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), and result in additional border controls being required, which is an issue of contention, particularly on the island of Ireland. The Canadian–EU deal took seven years to negotiate, but some Brexiteers argued it would take much less time between the UK and EU as the two participants already align on regulatory standards.{{cite web |title=Would Canada-plus do the trick? |url=https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/uktpo/2018/09/26/would-canada-plus-do-the-trick/ |access-date=17 November 2018}} (Others aimed for regulatory divergence as a matter of principle.)

;{{vanchor|Chequers plan||text=Chequers plan}}:A July 2018 white paper by the UK government, setting out its wishes for the UK's future relationship with EU. The plan was agreed at a cabinet meeting at Chequers, and caused a number of resignations.{{Cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/chequers-plan-to-be-published-despite-resignations-of-david-davis-and-boris-johnson-11431977|title=Chequers plan to be published despite resignations of David Davis and Boris Johnson|last=Culbertson|first=Alix|date=10 July 2018|work=Sky News|access-date=2 January 2020}} When the UK and EU agreed a draft withdrawal agreement and the related political declaration in November 2018, the Chequers plan was superseded by that political declaration.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/live/2018/nov/22/brexit-talks-theresa-may-eu-hancock-rejects-claims-talks-are-in-trouble-saying-last-minute-hitches-normal-in-eu-negotiations-politics-live?page=with:block-5bf6e604e4b045afb4421df1#block-5bf6e604e4b045afb4421df1|title=No 10 confirms Chequers plan no longer blueprint for future relationship with EU|last=Sabbagh|first=Dan|date=22 November 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=2 January 2020}}

;{{vanchor|Clean break Brexit|Clean Brexit}}:See No-deal Brexit. This term is used primarily by proponents of a no-deal Brexit, in particular the Brexit Party.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48422801|title=What would a Brexit Party Brexit look like?|last=Morris|first=Chris|date=27 May 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=2 January 2020}} Also known as "clean brexit".

;{{vanchor|Customs union}}:See EU Customs Union

;{{vanchor|Divorce bill||text=Divorce bill}}:The UK agreed to settle outstanding financial commitments that it had approved while a member of the EU. The amount owed is officially referred to as the financial settlement but has informally been referred to as an exit bill or divorce bill.{{cite web |title=Brexit: the exit bill

|url=http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8039/CBP-8039.pdf |publisher = House of Commons Library |id= CBP-8039 |first=Matthew |last=Keep |date=12 December 2017 |access-date=15 February 2018 }} The UK's Office for Budget Responsibility estimate of the amount at the original planned date of Brexit in March 2019 was £38 billion.{{cite web |title=Economic and Fiscal Outlook |publisher=Office for Budget Responsibility |url=https://cdn.obr.uk/March-2019_EFO_Web-Accessible.pdf |page=111 |date=March 2019 |access-date=24 March 2019 |archive-date=15 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210315092816/http://cdn.obr.uk/March-2019_EFO_Web-Accessible.pdf |url-status=dead }} Following delay of the UK's exit until 31 January 2020, after normal member contributions payable up to that date, a final settlement of £33 billion was estimated.{{cite web|url=https://cdn.obr.uk/EFO_March-2020_Accessible.pdf|title=Economic and fiscal outlook|date=11 March 2020|publisher=Office for Budget Responsibility|pages=116–118|access-date=12 March 2020|archive-date=17 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200717155607/https://cdn.obr.uk/EFO_March-2020_Accessible.pdf|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|website=Parliament UK|url=https://researchbriefings.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-8039|title=Brexit: the financial settlement|date=19 December 2019|access-date=12 January 2020}} This estimate was updated in July 2024 to £30.2 billion.{{cite web |website=www.gov.uk|url=https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-8822/CBP-8822.pdf|title=Brexit: the financial settlement - a summary|last=Keep|first=Matthew |date=23 July 2024 |access-date=26 October 2024}}

;{{vanchor|EU customs union||text=EU customs union}}:The customs union of the EU: an agreement that members do not impose taxes on goods imported from one another, and have a common tariff for goods imported from non-members countries.{{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-hard-soft-boris-johnson-theresa-may-article-50-brexchosis-a8221566.html|title=Brexicon: A full dictionary of Brexit-related jargon|last=O'Grady|first=Sean|date=21 February 2018|work=The Independent|access-date=2 January 2020}} Being in a customs union facilitates trade and economic cooperation, but leaving the EU customs union allows the UK to conduct its own trade policy.{{Cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/single-market-customs-union-your-guide-to-brexit-jargon-10729833|title=Brexit: The jargon explained|date=26 June 2019|work=Sky News|access-date=2 January 2020}} In the 2019 withdrawal agreement, all of the UK will leave the EU customs union, which creates a de jure customs border on the Republic of Ireland–Northern Ireland border. In practice, customs checks will be performed at ports and airports in Northern Ireland, and taxes will be paid for goods that are "at risk" of being moved from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-50083026|title=Brexit: What is in Boris Johnson's new deal with the EU?|date=21 October 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=2 January 2020}}

:See also Irish Sea border, Northern Ireland Protocol, Windsor Framework, and Brexit and the Irish border.

;{{vanchor|Exit day}}:See also Brexit day

:UK domestic law has defined "exit day" for the purpose of dealing with the domestic consequences of Brexit, but the date is not formally linked to UK's departure from the EU.{{Cite web|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/brexit/negotiations/what-is-exit-day-dispelling-misconceptions-about-the-extension-of-article-50/|title=What is 'exit day'? Dispelling misconceptions about the extension of Article 50|last=Cowie|first=Graeme|date=19 March 2019|website=House of Commons Library|access-date=27 December 2019}}

;{{vanchor|Fish for finance||text=Fish for finance}}:The juxtapositioning in post-Brexit negotiations of EU access to UK natural resources on the one hand and UK access to the EU financial services market on the other. Fishermen in the eight European countries whose waters border the UK's would like to maintain something close to the level of access they have enjoyed under the EU Common Fisheries Policy, as they depend heavily on many species found in the UK's rich waters, while British fishermen want the European presence in UK waters to be limited. At the same time, UK financial institutions would like to keep the access they presently have to customers in the EU as it currently accounts for a significant part of their business, while the EU wants to make sure Britain's regulations are as strict as its own before it allows this.{{cite news|last=Cecil|first=Nicholas|title=Leo Varadkar warns Britain may have to accept 'fish for finance' compromise in EU trade talks|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/leo-varadkar-fish-for-finance-compromise-eu-talks-brexit-a4345471.html|newspaper=Evening Standard|date=27 January 2020|access-date=3 October 2020}}

;{{vanchor|Flextension}}:A "flextension" was how the House of Commons Library described the first extension made to the Article 50 period. That extension was until 22 May 2019 if the Theresa May Withdrawal Agreement was approved by the House of Commons, otherwise it was until 12 April.{{cite web |last=Fella |first=Stefano |date=25 March 2019 |title=The EU agrees to delay Brexit – but for how long? |url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/parliament-and-elections/elections-elections/the-eu-agrees-to-delay-brexit-but-for-how-long/ |website=House of Commons Library |access-date=12 January 2020}}

:A "flextension" was also how European Council president Donald Tusk characterised the extension to 31 January 2020, which allows the UK to leave before the deadline, on the first of any month, if by then a deal has been approved by the UK and European parliaments.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-50205603|title=Brexit: European leaders agree extension to 31 January|website=BBC News|date=28 October 2019|access-date=28 October 2019}}

;{{vanchor|Hard and soft Brexit}}:"Hard Brexit" and "soft Brexit" are unofficial terms that are commonly used by news media{{cite news |title="Hard" Brexit most likely outcome for UK leaving EU, says S&P |url=http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-ratings-idUKKBN13610L |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161111113251/http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-eu-ratings-idUKKBN13610L |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 November 2016 |access-date=18 March 2017 |work=Reuters |date=11 November 2016}} to describe the prospective relationship between the UK and the EU after withdrawal. A hard Brexit usually refers to the UK leaving the EU and the European Single Market with few or no deals (trade or otherwise) in place, meaning that trade will be conducted under the World Trade Organization's rules, and services will no longer be provided by agencies of the European Union (such as aviation safety).{{cite news |access-date=26 October 2018|title=Air industry chief predicts 'chaos' for holiday flights in event of no-deal Brexit |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/iata-brexit-flight-disruption/|newspaper=The Telegraph|last=Morris|first=Hugh|date=25 October 2018}} Soft Brexit encompasses any deal that involves retaining membership in the European Single Market and at least some free movement of people according to European Economic Area (EEA) rules.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-37507129 |title=Brexit: What are the options? Alternative Brexit models |work=BBC News |date=15 January 2017 |access-date=24 February 2017}} Theresa May's "Chequers agreement" embraced some aspects of a "soft" Brexit.{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/briefing/2018/09/27/how-brexit-weakens-and-strengthens-britains-conservatives |title=How Brexit weakens and strengthens Britain's Conservatives|newspaper=The Economist|access-date=3 October 2018}} Note that the EEA and the deal with Switzerland contain fully free movement of people, and that the EU has wanted that to be included in a deal with UK on fully free trade.

;{{vanchor|Hard border}}:An Ireland–Northern Ireland border with physical border installations.{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/world/2019/2/18/18204269/brexit-irish-border-backstop-explained|title=Brexit's Irish border problem, explained|last=Kirby|first=Jen|date=18 February 2019|work=Vox|access-date=2 January 2020}} The UK and EU both desire to prevent a hard border, but finding a way to achieve this has proved difficult. A hard border is feared because it might endanger the Good Friday Agreement that in 1998 ended the Northern Ireland conflict. With both Ireland and the UK a member of the EU, customs checks were not necessary, and the Good Friday Agreement removed security checks at the border. The draft withdrawal agreement, as updated in October 2019, avoids a hard border by keeping Northern Ireland aligned with some EU regulation, while performing customs checks at the Irish Sea border.

;{{vanchor|Indicative vote}}: Indicative votes are votes by members of parliament on a series of non-binding resolutions. They are a means of testing the will of the House of Commons on different options relating to one issue.Institute for Government. (2019). [https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/indicative-votes Indicative votes]. Article updated 1 April 2019; retrieved 8 April 2019. MPs voted on eight different options for the next steps in the Brexit process on 27 March 2019; however, none of the proposals earned a majority in the indicative votes.[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47726787 How did my MP vote on Brexit indicative votes?] (First round). BBC News. Published 27 March 2019; retrieved 8 April 2019. MPs also voted on four options on 1 April 2019 in the second round of indicative votes. Still, none of the proposals earned a majority.[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47779783 How did my MP vote on Brexit indicative votes?] (Second round). BBC News. Published 1 April 2019; retrieved 8 April 2019.

;{{vanchor|Implementation period}}: The period ending on 31 December 2020 at 11 p.m. GMT, as stated in section 39 of European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill 2019–20. The UK-EU withdrawal agreement uses the wording transition period, while the EEA-UK separation agreement has implementation period.

;{{vanchor|Irish backstop||text=Irish backstop}}:An "insurance policy" intended to prevent a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and thus respecting the Good Friday Agreement.{{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/world/2019/4/11/18300382/brexit-news-glossary-flextension-second-referendum|title=Brexiteer to second referendum: a handy Brexit glossary|last=Kirby|first=Jen|date=28 October 2019|work=Vox|access-date=2 January 2020}} It was included in the 2018 draft withdrawal agreement, and would come in force if no solution to the Irish border problem was found during the transition period. Under the plan, the UK would remain in a customs union with the EU, while Northern Ireland and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the UK would follow additional EU rules. The backstop was controversial because critics feared it would bind the UK to the EU for an indefinite time,{{Cite web|url=https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/irish-backstop|title=Irish backstop|date=12 March 2019|website=Institute for Government|access-date=2 January 2020}} and the UK could not withdraw from it unilaterally.{{Cite news|url=https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/parliament-and-elections/parliament/the-backstop-explained/|title=The backstop explained|last=Curtis|first=John|date=12 December 2018|work=House of Commons Library|access-date=2 January 2020}} In October 2019, the withdrawal agreement was revised, and the Irish backstop was replaced with the Article 18 of the Northern Ireland Protocol which provides for a four-year period in which Northern Ireland would remain aligned with certain EU laws. This arrangement can be extended for further four-year periods for as long as the Northern Ireland Assembly assents by simple majority vote.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/oct/17/how-is-boris-johnson-brexit-deal-different-from-theresa-may|title=How is Boris Johnson's Brexit deal different from Theresa May's?|last=O'Carroll|first=Lisa|date=17 October 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=2 January 2020}}

;{{anchor|Brextremist|Brextremists|Leaver|Leavers}}Leaver: Those supporting Brexit are sometimes referred to as "Leavers".{{cite web |title=Oxford English Dictionary definition of Leaver |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/leaver |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121347/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/leaver |url-status=dead |archive-date=19 January 2019 |publisher=Oxford English Dictionary |access-date=18 January 2019}}{{cite news |last1=Wheeler |first1=Brian |title=Brexit: Can Leavers and Remainers call a Christmas truce? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-42198627 |access-date=18 January 2019 |work=BBC |date=14 December 2017}} Alternatively the term "Brexiteers",{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41190237 |title=Brexiteers' letter adds to pressure on May |first=Laura |last=Kuenssberg |date=7 September 2017 |access-date=1 November 2017 |publisher=BBC}}Peck, Tom (28 December 2017). [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/french-ports-brexit-uk-pay-emmanuel-macron-theresa-may-a8131096.html UK must pay for French ports after Brexit, Macron to tell May]. The Independent. or "Brexiters" has been used to describe adherents of the Leave campaign.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4wtpDwAAQBAJ&q=remoaner+meaning&pg=PT117 |title=Rethinking Language, Text and Context: Interdisciplinary Research in Stylistics in Honour of Michael Toolan |first1=Ruth |last1=Page |first2=Beatrix |last2=Busse |first3=Nina |last3=Nørgaard |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351183208 |date=14 August 2018 |access-date=31 March 2019}}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4wtpDwAAQBAJ&q=judgement+attached&pg=PT117 |title=Rethinking Language, Text and Context: Interdisciplinary Research in Stylistics in Honour of Michael Toolan |first1=Ruth |last1=Page |first2=Beatrix |last2=Busse |first3=Nina |last3=Nørgaard |publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781351183208 |date=14 August 2018 |access-date=31 March 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://www.open.edu/openlearn/languages/linguistics/brexiteers-and-broflakes-how-language-frames-political-debate |title=Brexiteers and Broflakes: how language frames political debate |publisher=Open University |first=Philip |last=Seargeant |date=28 July 2017 |access-date=31 March 2019}}{{cite web |url=https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/brexiter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628074815/https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/brexiter|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 June 2017|title=Oxford English Dictionary definition of Brexiter|access-date=26 October 2018|publisher=Oxford English Dictionary}}

;{{anchor|Level playing field}}Level playing field: A collective term referring to the proposed commitment to abiding by common environmental, labour and social standards set in EU law as a pre-condition for British access to the Single Market under a prospective trade deal.{{cite news |last1=Baczynska |first1=Gabriela |title=Explainer: Blocking EU-UK trade deal - the level playing field |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-lpf-explainer/explainer-blocking-eu-uk-trade-deal-the-level-playing-field-idUKKBN28O2HI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201214175607/https://uk.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-lpf-explainer/explainer-blocking-eu-uk-trade-deal-the-level-playing-field-idUKKBN28O2HI |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 December 2020 |access-date=23 December 2020 |work=Reuters |date=14 December 2020}} It is determined by the commitment to avoiding regulatory arbitrage that might bestow an undue competitive advantage to British firms.

;{{vanchor|Lexit|Lexiter}}:Also Lexiter. A portmanteau of left-wing and Brexit,{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06spmsm |title=Lexit: The left's strategy for Brexit |website=BBC |first=Grace |last=Blakeley |author-link=Grace Blakeley |date=23 November 2018 |access-date=30 April 2019}} referring to left-wing advocacy of EU withdrawal.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/14/left-reject-eu-greece-eurosceptic |title=The left must put Britain's EU withdrawal on the agenda |newspaper=The Guardian |first=Owen |last=Jones |author-link=Owen Jones |date=14 July 2015 |access-date=30 April 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-economy-corbyn-labour-lexit-dont-believe-the-myth-a8184836.html |title=I know a left-wing Brexit is a myth – I wrote the report on why it would never work |first=Catherine |last=West |author-link=Catherine West |newspaper=The Guardian |date=30 January 2018 |access-date=20 April 2019}}{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/dec/27/four-reasons-jeremy-corbyn-wrong-eu-state-aid |title=Four reasons Jeremy Corbyn is dead wrong about EU state aid |first=George |last=Peretz |newspaper=The Guardian |date=27 December 2018 |access-date=30 April 2019}}

;{{vanchor|Meaningful vote}}:A meaningful vote is a vote under section 13 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018, requiring the government to arrange for a motion proposing approval of the outcome of negotiations with the EU to be debated and voted on by the House of Commons before the European Parliament decides whether it consents to the withdrawal agreement being concluded on behalf of the EU in accordance with Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union.Institute for Government. (2019). [https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/parliament-meaningful-vote-brexit Parliament's 'meaningful vote' on Brexit.] Article updated 29 March 2019; retrieved 8 April 2019.

;{{vanchor|Managed no-deal}}: "Managed no-deal Brexit",{{cite news |last1=Maguire |first1=Patrick |title=Could the next Tory leader really pull off a "managed no-deal Brexit"? |url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/uk/2018/12/no-deal-brexit-theresa-may-next-replace |work=New Statesman |date=11 December 2018 |language=en}} or "managed no deal Brexit",{{cite news |last1=Foster |first1=Peter |title=Managed no deal: What exactly does it mean for Brexit – and what will happen? |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/0/managed-no-deal-exactly-does-mean-brexit-will-happen/ |work=The Telegraph |date=18 December 2018}} was increasingly used near the end of 2018, in respect of the complex series of political, legal and technical decisions needed if there is no withdrawal agreement treaty with the EU when the UK exits under the Article 50 withdrawal notice. The Institute for Government has advised that the concept is unrealistic.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jul/28/boris-johnson-ifg-no-deal-brexit-crush-domestic-policy-plans |title=Johnson told no-deal Brexit will crush domestic policy plans. Institute for Government tells PM there is 'no such thing as a managed no deal' |author=Lisa O'Carroll and Rowena Mason |work=The Guardian |date=28 July 2019 |access-date=28 July 2019}}

;{{vanchor|No-deal Brexit}}: This means the UK would leave the European Union without a withdrawal agreement,{{Cite web|url=https://inews.co.uk/news/brexit/no-deal-brexit-what-meaning-uk-leave-uk-consequences/|title=What is a no-deal Brexit? Here are the consequences of the UK leaving the EU without a deal|date=4 September 2019|website=inews.co.uk}} and/or without a trade deal with the EU.

{{further|No-deal Brexit}}

;{{vanchor|Northern Ireland Protocol}}: The 'Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland', commonly abbreviated to the 'Northern Ireland Protocol', is a protocol to the Brexit withdrawal agreement that governs the unique customs and immigration issues at the border on the island of Ireland between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the European Union, and on some aspects of trade in goods between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.{{Cite journal |date=31 January 2020 |title=AGREEMENT on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/HTML/?uri=CELEX:12020W/TXT&from=EN |journal=Official Journal of the European Union |volume=Document 12020W/TXT |issue=L 29/7}}

;{{vanchor|Norway model}}/Norway-plus model:The 'Norway model' is shorthand for a model where the United Kingdom leaves the European Union but becomes a member of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the European Economic Area. EFTA and EEA membership would allow the UK to remain in the single market but without having to be subject to the Common Fisheries Policy, Common Agricultural Policy, and the European Court of Justice (ECJ). The UK would be subject to the EFTA court for interstate disputes, which largely shadows the ECJ, would have to transfer a large amount of EU law into UK law, and would no longer have any direct say on shaping new EU rules (some of which the UK would be obliged to transpose into UK law). The UK would also retain reciprocal freedom of movement between the EU and UK, which was seen as a key issue of contention in the referendum.{{cite web |title=The Norway model is back on the Brexit agenda – here's what that means |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-the-norway-model-brexit-2018-4?r=US&IR=T |website=businessinsider.com |access-date=17 November 2018 |archive-date=17 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181117233325/http://uk.businessinsider.com/what-is-the-norway-model-brexit-2018-4?r=US&IR=T |url-status=live }}

:The 'Norway-plus model' proposed a similar but closer relationship with the EU: this proposed in addition that the UK would join the European Union Customs Union.

;{{vanchor|People's Vote||text=People's Vote}}:An advocacy group launched in April 2018 which calls for a second referendum on the final Brexit deal. The People's Vote march is part of a series of demonstrations against Brexit.

;{{vanchor|Political declaration}}

:A document setting out the intended future relationship between the UK and EU. The declaration formed the basis for the trade agreement negotiations that started once the UK left the EU. Unlike the withdrawal agreement which is a legally binding treaty, the political declaration had no legal force.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/nov/25/may-brexit-deal-explained-eu-withdrawal-agreement-trade-backstop-citizens-rights|title=Brexit deal explained: backstops, trade and citizens' rights|last1=Boffey|first1=Daniel|date=25 November 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=2 January 2020|last2=Rankin|first2=Jennifer}}

==R==

;{{vanchor|Rejoiner}}: Those in favour of the UK rejoining the EU are sometimes referred to as "Rejoiners".[https://fabians.org.uk/rejoiners/ Rejoiners?], Stephen Bush, Fabian Society, 16 October 2018[https://fedtrust.co.uk/brexit-rejoiners-should-learn-from-remainers/ Brexit: Rejoiners should learn from Remainers], Brendan Donnelly, The Federal Trust, 20th September 2021[https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/march-2022/why-are-there-so-few-eu-rejoiners/ Why are there so few EU Rejoiners?], Tim Congdon, The Critic, March 2022[https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/my-fellow-rejoiners-are-living-a-fantasy My fellow Rejoiners are living a fantasy], Nick Tyrone, The Spectator, 2 January 2021

;{{vanchor|Remainer}}: Those in favour of the UK remaining in the EU are often referred to as "Remainers".[https://www.smh.com.au/world/reasons-to-be-cheerful-how-the-remoaners-are-fighting-back-on-brexit-20170728-gxki1v.html Reasons to be cheerful? How the 'Remoaners' are fighting back on Brexit], Sydney Morning Herald, July 28, 2017

;{{vanchor|Remoaner}}: Portmanteau of "Remainer" and "moan", used pejoratively by Leavers to describe a subset of Remainers, especially those that criticised or campaigned to undo the result after the referendum.{{cite web |title=remoaner noun – Definition, pictures, pronunciation and usage notes |url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/remoaner |website=www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com |publisher=Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary |quote=a name given to a person who believes that the UK should remain in the European Union and does not support Brexit: – The journalist doesn't mind being called a Remoaner, as it tells her that her opponents, the Brexiteers, are getting desperate.}}

;{{vanchor|Second referendum}}: A second referendum has been proposed by a number of politicians and pressure groups. The Electoral Commission has the responsibility for nominating lead campaign groups for each possible referendum outcome.Institute for Government. (2019). [https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/second-referendum-brexit How would a second referendum on Brexit happen?] Article updated 22 March 2019; retrieved 23 March 2019.

;{{vanchor|Singapore-on-Thames|text=Singapore-on-Thames}}: A model for the post-Brexit British economy that proposes that the UK deregulate and offer businesses a lower tax burden as an alternative to the EU, much like Singapore does in Asia.{{cite news|last=Raphael|first=Therese|title=Singapore-on-Thames Isn't Going to Happen|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2019-10-15/brexit-deal-singapore-on-thames-isn-t-going-to-happen|newspaper=Bloomberg News|date=15 October 2019|access-date=28 October 2020}}{{cite news|last=Vasagar|first=Jeevan|title=Singapore-on-Thames? This is no vision for post-Brexit Britain|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/nov/24/singapore-on-thames-post-brexit-britain-wealthy-city-state|newspaper=The Guardian|date=24 November 2017|access-date=28 October 2020}}

;{{vanchor|Slow Brexit}}: The term "slow Brexit" was first coined by Prime Minister Theresa May on 25 March 2019 as she spoke to Parliament, warning MPs that Article 50 could be extended beyond 22 May, slowing down the Brexit process. A 'slow Brexit' implies a longer period of political uncertainty in which members of Parliament will debate a sequence of steps of Britain's departure from the European Union.{{cite news |title=Theresa May Wields Threat of 'Slow Brexit' in Final Bid for Support |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-03-25/may-wields-threat-of-slow-brexit-in-final-bid-for-support |access-date=31 March 2019 |publisher=Bloomberg}}{{cite news |title=Theresa May warns of 'slow Brexit' as MPs vote to grab the reins |url=https://www.metro.news/theresa-may-warns-of-slow-brexit-as-mps-vote-to-grab-the-reins/1491370/ |publisher=Metro |date=26 March 2019}}

Take back control:

• A pro-Brexit phrase implying that Britain's sovereignty and ability to make its own laws had been lost by its membership of the EU and would return after withdrawal.{{cite journal |last1=Gamble |first1=Andrew |title=Taking back control: the political implications of Brexit |journal=Journal of European Public Policy |date=3 August 2018 |volume=25 |issue=8 |pages=1215–1232 |doi=10.1080/13501763.2018.1467952 |s2cid=158602299 |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/13501763.2018.1467952 |issn=1350-1763}}{{cite journal |last1=Dörre |first1=Klaus |title="Take Back Control!" |journal=Österreichische Zeitschrift für Soziologie |date=1 June 2019 |volume=44 |issue=2 |pages=225–243 |doi=10.1007/s11614-019-00340-9 |s2cid=214621225 |language=en |issn=1862-2585|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Ringeisen-Biardeaud |first1=Juliette |title="Let's take back control": Brexit and the Debate on Sovereignty |journal=Revue Française de Civilisation Britannique. French Journal of British Studies |date=16 March 2017 |volume=22 |issue=2 |doi=10.4000/rfcb.1319 |language=en |issn=0248-9015|doi-access=free }}{{cite journal |last1=Konstantinidis |first1=Nikitas |last2=Matakos |first2=Konstantinos |last3=Mutlu-Eren |first3=Hande |title="Take back control"? The effects of supranational integration on party-system polarization |journal=The Review of International Organizations |date=1 June 2019 |volume=14 |issue=2 |pages=297–333 |doi=10.1007/s11558-019-09355-z |s2cid=255310992 |language=en |issn=1559-744X|doi-access=free }}{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Julie |chapter=Fighting to 'Take Back Control': The House of Lords and Brexit |title=Brexit and Democracy |journal=Brexit and Democracy: The Role of Parliaments in the UK and the European Union |series=European Administrative Governance |date=2019 |pages=81–103 |doi=10.1007/978-3-030-06043-5_4 |chapter-url=https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-06043-5_4 |publisher=Springer International Publishing |isbn=978-3-030-06042-8 |s2cid=159127418 |language=en}}{{cite journal |last1=Hayward |first1=Katy |authorlink1=Katy Hayward |title=Why it is impossible for Brexit Britain to 'take back control' in Northern Ireland |journal=Territory, Politics, Governance |date=14 March 2020 |volume=8 |issue=2 |pages=273–278 |doi=10.1080/21622671.2019.1687328 |s2cid=216209860 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21622671.2019.1687328 |issn=2162-2671}}

;{{vanchor|Windsor Framework}}: The 'Windsor Framework' is a post-Brexit legal agreement between the EU and the UK, designed to address problems with the movement of goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland (and thus to the EU Single Market) arising from the Northern Ireland Protocol.

;{{vanchor|Withdrawal agreement||text=Withdrawal agreement}}

:A treaty between the UK and the EU, setting out the terms for the UK's withdrawal. The first version was agreed in November 2018 but was rejected by the UK parliament three times.{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48379730|title=Theresa May resigns over Brexit: What happened?|date=24 May 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=2 January 2020}} The agreement contained the contentious Irish backstop, which was one of the reasons for opposition to it. The failed ratification led to the resignation of the UK prime minister, Theresa May, and her successor Boris Johnson sought to renegotiate it despite the EU's refusal to do so.{{Cite news|url=https://www.lbc.co.uk/news/jean-claude-juncker-tells-boris-johnson-brexit/|title=Jean-Claude Juncker Tells Boris Johnson The EU Will Not Renegotiate Brexit Deal|date=25 July 2019|work=LBC|access-date=2 January 2020}} In October 2019, the EU and the new UK government agreed a new version of the withdrawal agreement, with the backstop replaced by a different solution to the Irish border problem. The new agreement passed its second reading in the House of Commons in December 2019, following a general election in which the Conservatives won a decisive majority.{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/dec/20/brexit-pm-asks-britons-to-move-on-as-mps-debate-withdrawal-bill|title=Brexit: MPs pass withdrawal agreement bill by 124 majority|last=Stewart|first=Heather|date=20 December 2019|work=The Guardian|access-date=2 January 2020}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43470987|title=Brexit: Jargon-busting guide to the key terms|date=21 October 2019|work=BBC News|access-date=2 January 2020}}
• {{Cite web|url=http://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7840/CBP-7840.pdf|title=Brexit Glossary|date=17 December 2019|editor-last=Gadd|editor-first=Eleanor|publisher=House of Commons Library|access-date=2 January 2020}}
• {{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/19/brexit-phrasebook-a-guide-to-the-talks-key-terms|title=Brexit phrasebook: a guide to the talks' key terms|last=Henley|first=Jon|date=23 November 2018|work=The Guardian|access-date=2 January 2020}}
• {{Cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-hard-soft-boris-johnson-theresa-may-article-50-brexchosis-a8221566.html|title=Brexicon: A full dictionary of Brexit-related jargon|last=O'Grady|first=Sean|date=21 February 2018|work=The Independent|access-date=2 January 2020}}
• {{Cite news|url=https://www.vox.com/world/2019/4/11/18300382/brexit-news-glossary-flextension-second-referendum|title=Brexiteer to second referendum: a handy Brexit glossary|last=Kirby|first=Jen|date=28 October 2019|work=Vox|access-date=2 January 2020}}
• {{Cite news|url=https://news.sky.com/story/single-market-customs-union-your-guide-to-brexit-jargon-10729833|title=Brexit: The jargon explained|date=26 June 2019|publisher=Sky News|access-date=2 January 2020}}

{{wiktionary|Appendix: Brexit glossary}}

{{Brexit topics}}

Category:Brexit

Brexit

Category:Wikipedia glossaries using description lists