LONDON - The United Kingdom officially left the European Union on Friday, entering into a period of uncertainty after three years of bitter wrangling over Brexit and tense negotiations over the terms of divorce between London and Brussels.
The departure became official at 11 p.m. London time when the clock struck midnight in the Belgian capital, where the EU is headquartered. Thousands of Brexit supporters waving Union Jack flags gathered outside Parliament to celebrate the severing of the 47-year relationship.
A recording of Big Ben's bells sounded out as crowds sang "God Save the Queen."
Brexit supporters had been looking forward to this moment since June 23, 2016, when 52 percent of the public voted to walk away from the EU, the successor to the European Communities it joined in 1973. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called the departure “a moment of real national renewal and change.”
“This is the single most important moment in the modern history of our great nation,” Nigel Farage, leader of the Brexit Party, told the crowd.
Some mourned the loss of their EU identity, with several vigils being held across the U.K. Ann Jones joined dozens of other so-called "remainers" on a march to the EU’s mission in London.
Johnson, who won a December general election victory with his promise to get Brexit done, insisted post-Brexit Britain would be “simultaneously a great European power and truly global in our range and ambitions.”
Breaking away from the EU also raises concerns for residents in Ireland and Northern Ireland, where protecting the peace after the Good Friday agreement of 1998 was a top priority.
The agreement ended three decades of sectarian violence known as the "Troubles" between groups that wanted to reunify Ireland and those who favored Northern Ireland remaining in Britain. (Fox News)