As the government edges closer to triggering the ubiquitous Article 50, Dr Chris Bickerton has been asked by The Independent to elucidate how exactly Article 50 works.
Dr Bickerton is a Fellow at Queens', lecturer at the Department of Politics and International Studies and author of the recent publicationThe European Union: A Citizen’s Guide.
There are numerous unknowns when it comes to withdrawing from the European Union and, as the first to leave, the UK is discovering that many of the details around Article 50 have purposefully been left vague and up to interpretation.
“The Treaty of Lisbon was drafted with the idea that [Article 50] would not be used, and to make it pretty hard to exit in a smooth way,” says Chris Bickerton.
The Process of withdrawal means the government must trigger the article by officially notifying the EU of its intention to leave. Once triggered, there is a two-year period in which the terms of the leaver’s exit are negotiated.
Interestingly, there is no timescale or mention of when to trigger Article 50 after a referendum, leaving many politicians worried about a long period of uncertainty.
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In addition to academic work, Chris's regularly writes for leading newspapers such as the Financial times, The Wall Street Journal and The Monde Diplomatique. Additionally he co-founded and contributes to the political economy blog, The Current Moment.
Additionally, Chris can frequently be heard on Talking Politics, the podcast by David Runciman and the Department of Politics and International Studies.