UK set to unpick some 80,000 pages of laws binding the UK to the EU
In the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, EU leaders have today called on the UK to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible.
EU leaders said in a statement: "We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be. Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty. We have rules to deal with this in an orderly way. Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union sets out the procedure to be followed if a Member State decides to leave the European Union. We stand ready to launch negotiations swiftly with the United Kingdom regarding the terms and conditions of its withdrawal from the European Union. Until this process of negotiations is over, the United Kingdom remains a member of the European Union, with all the rights and obligations that derive from this. According to the Treaties which the United Kingdom has ratified, EU law continues to apply to the full to and in the United Kingdom until it is no longer a Member."
Open Europe last year published a short guide on the mechanics of leaving the EU and Article 50 here, noting: "During the two-year negotiation period, EU laws would still apply to the UK."
ILPA recently published a useful summary on the impacts of a Brexit by Professor Steve Peers which you can read here. It looks at the impact it will have on UK citizens in the remaining EU and on EU citizens in the UK.
Nick Armstrong of Matrix Chambers examined the implications of a British exit from the EU on immigration in an article here. Armstrong argues that the most likely immigration outcome of a Brexit will be "no substantive change".
The Financial Times also looked at what will Brexit mean for immigration, saying: "The borders will not close, but there will probably be new rules about who can come in. While it is possible the UK will agree to maintain free movement of labour in return for access to the EU's single market (which is the arrangement in Norway), that outcome seems unlikely given the Leave campaign's promise to "take back control" of immigration."
The FT's Martin Wolf says he believes "it is now politically inevitable that the UK will have to bring in controls over immigration from the EU."
The Guardian looked at the issue of what a Brexit will mean for EU citizens in the UK here and here.
BBC News says that Brexit "requires the UK to unpick some 80,000 pages of laws binding the UK to the EU", while the Telegraph said today: "Untying Britain from the old membership is the easy bit. Harder would be agreeing a new trading relationship, establishing what tariffs and other barriers to entry are permitted, and agreeing on obligations such as free movement. Such a process, EU leaders claim, could take another five years."