History of European Union–United Kingdom

relations
Since the foundation of the European Communities, the United Kingdom has been an important neighbour and is currently a major
member, until its withdrawal.

Contents
EU roots and British accession (1957–1973)
Referendum of 1975
From Referendum to Maastricht Treaty (1975–1992)
Maastricht Treaty and Referendum party
Role of UKIP (1993–2016)
Controversy on the European Court of Human Rights in 2013
Euroscepticism (1993–2016)
Opinion polling 1993-2003
Brexit (2017–2019)
References

EU roots and British accession (1957–1973)

The UK was not a signatory of the three original treaties that were incorporated into what was then the European Communities,
including the most well known of these, the 1957Treaty of Rome, establishing the European Economic Community(EEC). The UK's
applications to join in 1963 and 1967 were vetoed by the President of France, Charles de Gaulle, who said that "a number of aspects
of Britain's economy, from working practices to agriculture" had "made Britain incompatible with Europe" and that Britain harboured
[1]
a "deep-seated hostility" to any pan-European project.

Once de Gaulle had relinquished the French presidency in 1969, the UK made a third and successful application for membership. The
question of sovereignty had been discussed at the time in an official Foreign and Commonwealth Office document. It listed among
"Areas of policy in which parliamentary freedom to legislate will be affected by entry into the European Communities": Customs
duties, Agriculture, Free movement of labour,services and capital, Transport, and Social Security for migrant workers. The document
concluded (paragraph 26) that it was advisable to put the considerations of influence and power before those of formal sovereignty.[2]

The Treaty of Accession was signed in January 1972 by the then prime minister Edward Heath, leader of the Conservative Party.[3]
Parliament's European Communities Act 1972 was enacted on 17 October, and the UK's instrument of ratification was deposited the
next day (18 October),[4] letting the United Kingdom's membership of the EC come into ef
fect on 1 January 1973.[5]

Referendum of 1975
In 1975, the United Kingdom held its first ever national referendum on whether the UK should remain in the European Communities.
The governing Labour Party, led by Harold Wilson, had contested the October 1974 general election with a commitment to
renegotiate Britain's terms of membership of the EC and then hold a referendum on whether to remain in the EC on the new terms.[6]
All of the major political parties and the mainstream press supported continuing membership of the EC. However, there were
significant divides within the ruling Labour Party; a 1975 one-day party conference voted by two to one in favour of withdrawal,[7]
and seven of the 23 cabinet ministers were opposed to EC membership,[8] with Harold Wilson suspending the constitutional
convention of Cabinet collective responsibilityto allow those ministers to publicly campaign against the government.

On 5 June 1975, the electorate were asked to vote yes or no on the question: "Do you think the UK should stay in the European
Community (Common Market)?" Every administrative county and region in the UK returned majority "Yes" votes, apart from the
Shetland Islands and the Outer Hebrides. With a turnout of just under 65%, the outcome of the vote was 67.2% in favour of staying
in, and the United Kingdom remained a member of the EC.[9] Support for the UK to leave the EC in 1975, in the data, appears
[10]
unrelated to the support for Leave in the 2016 referendum.

From Referendum to Maastricht Treaty (1975–1992)

In 1979, the United Kingdom opted out of the
newly formed European Monetary System
(EMS), which was the precursor to the creation of
the euro currency.

The opposition Labour Party campaigned in the

1983 general election on a commitment to
withdraw from the EC without a referendum.[11]
It was heavily defeated; the Conservative
government of Margaret Thatcher was re-elected.
The Labour Party subsequently changed its
policy.[11]

In 1985, the United Kingdom ratified the Single

European Act—the first major revision to the
Treaty of Rome — without a referendum, with the
full support of the Thatcher government.
Comparison of results of 1975 and 2016 referendums
In October 1990 — despite the deep reservations
of Margaret Thatcher, who was under pressure
from her senior ministers — the United Kingdom joined the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), with the pound sterling
pegged to the deutschmark.

Maastricht Treaty and Referendum party

Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister in November 1990, amid internal divisions within the Conservative Party that arose partly from
her increasingly Eurosceptic views. The United Kingdom was forced to withdraw from the ERM in September 1992, after the pound
sterling came under pressure from currency speculators (an episode known as Black Wednesday). The resulting cost to UK taxpayers
was estimated to be in excess of £3 billion.[12][13]

As a result of the Maastricht Treaty, the European Communities became the European Union on 1 November 1993.[14] The new
name reflected the evolution of the organisation from an economic union into a political union.[15] As a result of the Lisbon Treaty,
which entered into force on 1 December 2009, the Maastricht Treaty is now known, in updated form as, the Treaty on European
Union (2007) or TEU, and the Treaty of Rome is now known, in updated form, as the Treaty on the Functioning of the European
Union (2007) or TFEU.

The Referendum Party was formed in 1994 by Sir James Goldsmith to contest the 1997 general election on a platform of providing a
referendum on the UK's membership of the EU.[16] It fielded candidates in 547 constituencies at that election, and won 810,860 votes
or 2.6% of the total votes cast.[17] It failed to win a single parliamentary seat because its vote was spread out across the country, and
lost its deposit (funded by Goldsmith) in 505 constituencies.[17]

Role of UKIP (1993–2016)

The UK Independence Party(UKIP), a Eurosceptic political party, was also formed, in 1993. It achieved third place in the UK during
the 2004 European elections, second place in the 2009 European electionsand first place in the 2014 European elections, with 27.5%
of the total vote. This was the first time since the 1910 general election that any party other than the Labour or Conservative parties
had taken the largest share of the vote in a nationwide election.[18] UKIP's electoral success in the 2014 European election has been
[19]
documented as the strongest correlate of the support for the leave campaign in the 2016 referendum.

In 2014, UKIP won two by-elections, triggered by defecting Conservative MPs, and in the 2015 general election took 12.6% of the
total vote and held one of the two seats won in 2014.[20]

Controversy on the European Court of Human Rights in 2013

The European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) was drafted in 1950, largely under British leadership, and its court (ECtHR)
was established in 1953. EU institutions are bound under article 6 of the Treaty of Nice to respect human rights under the
Convention, over and above for example the Law of the United Kingdom.[21] The Court was criticised especially within the
Conservative Party for ruling in favour of British prisoners obtaining the right to vote.[22][23][24][25] During the referendum the then
Home Secretary, Theresa May, had called for the UK to leave the ECHR[26]

It must be noted that neither the ECHR or ECtHR are formally part of the European Union, and are not connected to the Court of
Justice of the European Union (CJEU). The ECHR was drafted by, and the ECtHR is part of, the Council of Europe, of which the UK
was a founding member in 1949. The UK was an independent signatory to the ECHR, 21 years before joining the EC/EU, in
1951.[27]

Euroscepticism (1993–2016)
In a statistical analysis published in April 2016, Professor John Curtice of Strathclyde University defined Euroscepticism as the wish
to sever or reduce the powers of the EU, and conversely Europhilia as the desire to preserve or increase the powers of the EU.
According to this definition, the British Social Attitudes (BSA) surveys show an increase in euroscepticism from 38% (1993) to 65%
(2015). Euroscepticism should however not be confused with the wish to leave the EU: the BSA survey for the period July–
[28]
November 2015 shows that 60% backed the option "continue as an EU member", and only 30% backed the option to "withdraw".

Opinion polling 1993-2003

Since 1977, both pro- and anti-European views have had majority support at different times, with some dramatic swings between the
two camps.[29] In the United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum of 1975, two-thirds of British voters
favoured continued EC membership. The highest-ever rejection of membership was in 1980, the first full year of Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher's term of office, with 65% opposed to and 26% infavour of membership.[29]

After Thatcher had negotiated a rebate of British membership payments in 1984, those favouring the EC maintained a lead in the
opinion polls, except during 2000, as Prime Minister Tony Blair aimed for closer EU integration, including adoption of the euro
currency, and around 2011, as immigration into the United Kingdom became increasingly noticeable.[29] As late as December 2015
there was, according to ComRes, a clear majority in favour of remaining in the EU, albeit with a warning that voter intentions would
be considerably influenced by the outcome of Prime Minister David Cameron's ongoing EU reform negotiations, especially with
[30] The following events are relevant.
regards to the two issues of "safeguards for non-Eurozone member states" and "immigration".

Brexit (2017–2019)
From 2017 to 2019, UK has engaged in negotiating a Brexit between the European Union and herself. Between UK and EU, this
Brexit would consist in a withdrawal agreement and a trade agreement, while at a global level this would/might also split various
FTA. The withdrawal agreement is viewed by the EU as a "settlement of accounts" unrelated to the post-exit trade agreement, and
viewed by the UK as a 'goodwill payment' to enable a fair post-exit trade agreement. In the event of a no-deal scenario each side will
consequently have different views as to the validity of any payment.

References
1. "1967: De Gaulle says 'non' to Britain – again"(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/27/newsid
_4187000/4187714.stm). BBC News. 27 November 1976. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
2. FCO 30/1048, Legal and constitutional implications of UK entry into EEC(open from 1 January 2002 under the
Thirty-year rule).[1] (http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C11018818)
3. "Into Europe" (http://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/tradeindustry/importexport/overvie
w/europe/). Parliament.uk. Retrieved 25 February 2017.
4. "English text of EU Accession Treaty 1972, Cmnd. 7463" (http://treaties.fco.gov.uk/docs/fullnames/pdf/1979/TS001
8%20(1979)%20CMND-7463%201972%2022%20JAN,%20BRUSSELS%3B%20TREA TY%20CONCERNING%20A
CCESSION%20OF%20DENMARK%20IRELAND%20NOR WAY%20UK%20&%20NI%20TO%20EEC%20&%20EAE
C_1.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 24 February 2017.
5. "1973: Britain joins the EEC"(http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/january/1/newsid_2459000/2459167.s
tm). BBC News. 1 January 1973. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
6. Alex May, Britain and Europe since 1945(1999).
7. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/26/newsid_2503000/2503155.stm
8. DAvis Butler. "The 1975 Referendum"(https://web.archive.org/web/20160815034037/http://eureferendum.com/docu
ments/1975referendum1.pdf)(PDF). Eureferendum.com. Archived fromthe original (http://eureferendum.com/docum
ents/1975referendum1.pdf)(PDF) on 15 August 2016. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
9. "Research Briefings – The 1974–1975 UK Renegotiation of EEC Membership and Referendum" (http://researchbriefi
ngs.parliament.uk/ResearchBriefing/Summary/CBP-7253#fullreport)
. Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved
19 May 2016.
10. "Who Voted for Brexit? A comprehensive district level analysis" (http://www.trfetzer.com/who-voted-for-brexit/).
Becker, Fetzer, Novy, University of Warwick. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
11. Vaidyanathan, Rajini (4 March 2010)."Michael Foot: What did the 'longest suicide note' say?"(http://news.bbc.co.uk/
1/hi/magazine/8550425.stm). BBC News Magazine. BBC. Retrieved 21 October 2015.
12. Dury, Hélène. "Black Wednesday" (http://is.muni.cz/el/1456/podzim2011/MPF_AFIN/um/27608616/27608949/Black_
Wednesday.pdf) (PDF). Retrieved 24 February 2016.
13. Tempest, Matthew (9 February 2005)."Treasury papers reveal cost of Black Wednesday" (https://www.theguardian.c
om/politics/2005/feb/09/freedomofinformation.uk1)
. The Guardian. London. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
14. "EU treaties" (https://web.archive.org/web/20160913032647/http://europa.eu/european-union/eu-law/decision-makin
g/treaties_en). Europa (web portal). Archived fromthe original (https://europa.eu/european-union/eu-law/decision-ma
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. Europa (web portal).
Retrieved 19 May 2016.
16. Wood, Nicholas (28 November 1994). "Goldsmith forms a Euro referendum party".The Times. p. 1.
17. "UK Election 1997" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110921035222/http://www .politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge97/par
tycand.htm). Politicsresources.net. Archived fromthe original (http://www.politicsresources.net/area/uk/ge97/partyca
nd.htm) on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
18. "10 key lessons from the European election results"(https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2014/may/26/10-key-lesso
ns-european-election-results). The Guardian. 26 May 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
19. "Does Migration Cause Extreme Voting?" (http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/man
age/publications/306-2016_becker_fetzer
.pdf) (PDF). Becker and Fetzer, University of Warwick. 18 October 2016.
Retrieved 30 November 2016.
20. Matt Osborn (7 May 2015)."2015 UK general election results in full"(https://www.theguardian.com/politics/ng-interac
tive/2015/may/07/live-uk-election-results-in-full)
. The Guardian.
21. "Why are the Conservatives against the European court of human rights?"
(https://www.theguardian.com/law/2014/ju
l/17/european-court-of-human-rights-explainer)
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22. "European court is not superior to UK supreme court, says Lord Judge (the former Lord Chief Justice of England and
Wales)" (https://www.theguardian.com/law/2013/dec/04/european-court-uk-supreme-lord-judge). The Guardian
newspaper, Londion. 14 December 2013. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
23. "David Cameron to 'scrap' Human Rights Act for new 'British Bill of rights
' " (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/
politics/conservative-party-conference-cameron-announces-plans-to-scrap-human-rights-act-9767435.html) .
Independent Newspaper, London. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
24. "Human Rights Act versus a British Bill of Rights"(http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/32692758/human-rights-act
-versus-a-british-bill-of-rights). British Broadcasting Corporation, Newsbeat report, London. 25 May 2015
. Retrieved
6 May 2017.
25. "Plan to scrap Human Rights Act delayed again"(https://www.theguardian.com/law/2015/dec/02/plan-to-scrap-huma
n-rights-act-delayed-again). Guardian Newspapers London. 2 December 2015 . Retrieved 6 May 2017.
26. "UK must leave European convention on human rights, says Theresa May"(https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20
16/apr/25/uk-must-leave-european-convention-on-human-rights-theresa-may-eu-referendum). Guardian newspapers
London. 25 April 2017. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
27. "BBC News | UK | Human Rights: The European Convention"(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/948143.stm).
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28. Tarran, Brian (8 April 2016). "The Economy: a Brexit vote winner?".Significance. 13 (2): 6–7. doi:10.1111/j.1740-
9713.2016.00891.x (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1740-9713.2016.00891.x) .
29. Mortimore, Roger. "Polling history: 40 years of British views on 'in or out' of Europe"(http://theconversation.com/polli
ng-history-40-years-of-british-views-on-in-or-out-of-europe-61250) . The Conversation. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
30. New Open Europe/ComRes poll: Failure to win key reforms could swing UK's EU referendum vote (http://openeurop
e.org.uk/today/blog/new-open-europecomres-poll-failure-to-win-key-reforms-could-swing-uks-eu-referendum-vote)
openeurope.org, 16 December 2015.

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