Brexit

Brexit is a special word made by squishing together 'Britain' and 'Exit'. It means the United Kingdom, which is a country made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, decided to leave a big team of European countries called the European Union, or EU for short. Think of it like a big playground where lots of countries played together, and the UK decided it wanted to play on its own for a while.

This big change officially happened on January 31, 2020.

The UK didn't always want to leave the EU. A very long time ago, back in 1973, it joined a group that was like the EU's grandparent! Even way back then, some people in the UK weren't sure about being part of this big European team. In 1975, they even had a vote, and most people voted to stay. But over many years, more and more people started thinking about leaving.

People had different ideas about the EU. Some thought it was good for countries to work together, like sharing toys on the playground. Others felt that the UK should make its own rules without listening to the other countries in the EU. They wanted to be in charge of their own laws and borders. This big discussion led to a special vote, called a referendum, in 2016.

In the 2016 vote, people in the UK had to choose: stay in the EU or leave. It was a very close race, like a tie in a game! More people voted to leave, by just a little bit. This meant the UK had to figure out how to leave the EU. It took a long time, with lots of talking and planning, and finally, the UK officially left the EU. It's still a big change that people are talking about!