Withdrawal from the European Union

Britain on Jan. 1 began a new year and life outside Europe, after leaving the bloc's single market trading rules to go it alone for the first time in nearly half a century.

Brexit, which has dominated politics on both sides of the Channel since 2016, became reality an hour before midnight, ending the U.K.'s 48-year obligation to follow Brussels' rules.

Like a separated couple still living together, Britain and the European Union spent 2020 wrangling and wondering whether they can still be friends.

On Thursday, the UK is finally moving out. At 11 p.m. London time — midnight in Brussels — Britain will economically and practically leave the the 27-nation bloc, 11 months after its formal political departure.

The father of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was in the process of applying for a French passport to maintain his ties with the European Union after Brexit.

Stanley Johnson, a former member of the European Parliament who voted Remain in Britain's 2016 referendum, told RTL radio he wanted to become a French citizen because of strong family links to France.

As the EU and UK have reached a trade and cooperation agreement to enable smooth transition to the full Brexit, British Ambassador to Slovenia Tiffany Sadler has assessed that, as the UK will always be a “close friend and partner to Slovenia”, the deal enables the UK to continue to work with Slovenia as partners to tackle global challenges.

The European Union and UK have reached a post-Brexit trade agreement after months of tense negotiations.

"Deal is done," read the statement from Downing Street on Thursday afternoon -- swiftly followed by confirmation from EU in Brussels.

EU ambassadors have today approved the Brexit trade deal with the UK, ahead of the MPs vote.

The deal, hammered out on Christmas Eve ahead of implementation on January 1, has been given another green light with the unanimous approval.

It comes as MPs in Britain are preparing to vote on the deal in a special sitting of Parliament on Wednesday.

Britain on Monday urged businesses to prepare for Brexit, just days before a transition period designed to smooth the UK's departure from the European Union comes to an end.

Britain and the EU clinched a trade deal on Thursday - one which preserves zero-tariff and zero-quota access to the bloc's single market but which will still cause disruption.

Britain and Turkey are set to sign a free trade deal on Dec. 29, the U.K. trade ministry said on Dec. 27, the first since Prime Minister Boris Johnson secured a new trade agreement with the European Union.

The fast-track ratification of the post-Brexit trade deal between the U.K. and the European Union got underway on Christmas Day as ambassadors from the bloc's 27 nations started assessing the accord that takes effect in a week.

Turkey on Dec. 25 welcomed the last-minute post-Brexit trade deal between the U.K. and EU.

"Turkey welcomes the deal reached in the negotiations on the future of post-Brexit relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union," said the Foreign Ministry in a statement.