BBC: Brexit: Jargon-busting guide to the key terms

Confused by all the Brexit jargon in the news? Here's a glossary to demystify commonly used EU-related terms.

• 21 October 2019

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Confused by all the Brexit jargon in the news? Here's a glossary to demystify commonly used EU-related terms.

Your guide to Brexit jargon

Use the list below or select a button

                 - Choose a Brexit term -                              Alignment             Alternative arrangements             Another referendum             Article 50             Backstop plan             Benn Act             Brexit             Brexit bus             Brexit day             Brexiteers             Brexiters             Brexodus             Brino             Cake and eat it             Canada model             Canada plus             Chequers plan             Cherry picking             Clean break Brexit             Cliff edge             Common Agricultural Policy             Consent mechanism             Council of Ministers             Customs plan             Customs territory             Customs union             DExEU             Disorderly Brexit             Divergence             Divorce bill             EU             EU referendum             European Commission             European Council             European Court of Justice (ECJ)             European Economic Area (EEA)             European Free Trade Association (EFTA)             European Parliament             Eurosceptic             Euroscepticism             Facilitated customs arrangement             Flextension             Four freedoms             Free trade agreement             Free movement             Frictionless trade             Gatt 24             Globalisation             Hard border             Hard Brexit             Henry VIII powers             Humble address             Indicative vote             Irish border             Joint committee             Letwin amendment             Level playing field             Malthouse compromise             Managed no deal             Mandate             Max-fac             Meaningful vote             MEP             No deal             Non papers             Northern Ireland Assembly             Norway model             Operation Yellowhammer             Passporting             Political declaration             Preparedness             Proroguing             Remoaners             Rules of origin             Schengen area             Settled status             Single market             Soft Brexit             Standing Order 24             Tariff             Tariff-free trade             Transition period             Treaty             TTIP             Tunnel talks             White Paper             Withdrawal agreement             Withdrawal agreement bill             WTO rules             

16 key terms

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Article 50

• Part of an EU treaty that sets out how member countries can leave, with a two-year timetable for leaving.
• Article 50 was triggered by former Prime Minister Theresa May at the end of March 2017.
• However, the deadline was extended to 31 October 2019 after MPs rejected Mrs May's Brexit deal.
• The UK is allowed to stop the Article 50 process completely - but if it only wants to extend it, all the other EU countries must agree.

Backstop

• The backstop was an insurance policy negotiated by former Prime Minister Theresa May, to avoid checks along the Irish border.
• Had it come into effect, the backstop would have kept the UK effectively inside the EU's customs union but with Northern Ireland also conforming to some rules of the single market.
• Boris Johnson, the new prime minister, removed the backstop after renegotiating the withdrawal agreement and replaced it with a new customs plan.

Benn Act

• In September 2019, MPs passed a new law - introduced by Labour's Hilary Benn - designed to stop Boris Johnson pushing through a no-deal Brexit on 31 October.
• Under the "Benn Act", Mr Johnson was required to request a three-month Brexit delay by 19 October. Mr Johnson complied with the Benn Act and sent the extension request letter after MPs failed to approve the PM's new Brexit deal by the deadline.
• Opponents of the legislation, including Mr Johnson, have referred to the law as the "Surrender Act".

Can a no-deal Brexit still happen?

Consent mechanism

• Under Boris Johnson's revised Brexit deal, Northern Ireland will follow some EU rules. In order for the arrangement to continue, the Northern Ireland Assembly will need to give consent.
• This will come in the form of a vote every four years. If the Northern Ireland Assembly votes against, the arrangement will come to an end two years later during which time the "joint committee" would make recommendations to the UK and EU on "necessary measures".
• Once the joint committee is set up, it will consist of a panel of UK and EU representatives.

Customs plan

• The revised Brexit deal proposes a new custom plan. Under it, some goods entering Northern Ireland from GB will have to pay EU import taxes (known as tariffs).
• The tax will only have to be paid on goods which are deemed "at risk" of entering the Republic of Ireland.
• The list of "at risk" goods will be decided at a later date.
• If goods subsequently remain in Northern Ireland (ie do not travel to the Republic of Ireland), companies will be able to apply for a refund on the tax they've paid.

Customs union

• The EU customs union is an agreement between EU countries not to charge taxes called tariffs on things coming from other EU countries, and to charge the same tariffs as each other on things coming from outside the EU.

Brexit Basics: The customs union explained (November 2018)

Divorce bill

• The money the UK agrees to pay to the EU as part of a Brexit deal.
• Under Theresa May's deal it was widely expected to total about £39bn, to be paid over a number of years. It was based on the UK's share of EU budgets up to 2020 as well as continuing liabilities such as EU civil servants' pensions.
• Some of that money has been paid as part of the UK's normal membership contributions already. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates that the bill is now around £33bn.

Does the UK owe the EU £39bn?

Irish border

• The border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. After Brexit, it will become the only land border between the UK and the European Union.

No deal

• A no-deal Brexit would mean the UK leaving the European Union and cutting ties immediately, with no agreement in place.
• The UK will leave with no deal on 31 October unless a Brexit deal is agreed, the Brexit deadline is extended, or Article 50 is revoked.
• In a no-deal scenario, the UK would follow World Trade Organization rules to trade with the EU and other countries, while trying to negotiate free-trade deals.

What is a no-deal Brexit?

Northern Ireland Assembly

• Also known as the Stormont assembly, it is the devolved legislature for Northern Ireland.
• The assembly is made up of 90 seats and has the power to make laws in a wide range of areas.

Operation Yellowhammer

• The code name for the government's contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit, drawn up in August 2019.
• After The Times obtained a leaked copy of the documents, MPs voted for them to be made public.
• The "worst-case scenario" documents warn of a rise in public disorder, food price rises and reduced medical supplies.
• The government says more progress has been made towards planning for a no-deal Brexit since the documents were written.

What does Yellowhammer say about no-deal Brexit?

Political declaration

• Document which sets out proposals for how the UK's long term future relationship with the EU will work after Brexit.
• Unlike the withdrawal agreement, the political declaration is not legally binding - it sets out the hopes of both sides for the future on things like trade.

Single market

• A system that enables goods, services, people and capital (money) to move between all 28 EU member states, as well as Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.
• Countries in the single market apply many common rules and standards.
• A UK company can sell its product (goods) in Portugal as easily as it can in Portsmouth, bring back the cash (capital), offer maintenance (services) and despatch a repair team (people).

Tariff

• A tax or duty to be paid on goods being imported or, very occasionally, exported.

Transition period

• The transition period is intended to allow time for the UK and EU to agree their future relationship.
• The UK would have no say in the making of new EU laws during the transition but would have to follow all EU rules, including freedom of movement.
• This period is due to expire on 31 December 2020, but could be extended by up to two years if both the UK and the EU wanted.

Withdrawal agreement

• Theresa May agreed a deal with the EU on the terms of the UK's departure. It included how much money the UK must pay to the EU as a settlement, details of the transition period, and citizens' rights.
• It also covered the so-called "backstop", which ensures that no hard border exists between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit even if there's no deal on the future relationship in place by the end of the transition period.
• After it was voted down three times and Mrs May resigned, Boris Johnson negotiated changes to the withdrawal agreement where the backstop was replaced with a new Northern Ireland proposal.

What is in Boris Johnson's new Brexit deal?

Brexit explained

Brexit - British exit - refers to the UK leaving the EU. A public vote was held in June 2016, to decide whether the UK should leave or remain.

• A simple guide to Brexit
• Could a no-deal Brexit still happen?
• What is in Boris Johnson's Brexit plan?
• What will happen to the EHIC after Brexit?

More news explainers

Correction 1st October 2019: An earlier version of this story suggested the Yellowhammer document had referred to the potential risk of rioting; it has been amended to more closely reflect the paper's exact wording, which referred to protests and "a rise in public disorder and community tensions".

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-43470987