Brexit has become a reality, with 52 per cent of the country voting to leave the European Union. So what happens to Britain's 73 Members of European Parliament (MEPs)?
When will Britain's MEPs leave?
Without a hard timeline in place for Britain's disentanglement from the union, it's impossible to say exactly when the nation's EU parliamentarians will be heading home.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The next MEP elections take place in 2019. There has been no official word on whether Britain's representatives will depart before then, but with a proposed withdrawal period of two years, they will almost certainly not be around to contest their seats.
But for now, it seems the UK's MEPs aren't going anywhere. Despite the political and economic turmoil which has seen the pound plummet and David Cameron resign as prime minister, they are still elected officials with a job to do.
"For the time being, the British MEPs and the British Commissioner should stay," German MEP Alexander Graf Lambsdorff told Euronews. They "are obliged to represent the pan-European interest, not just the British interest," he added.
Labour MEP Richard Corbett predicts the UK's representatives will continue to vote on matters affecting the EU budget while the country is still a contributor, but will abstain on votes concerning the future of the union.
What are British MEPs saying about the results?
Reaction to the referendum results from Britain's MEPs was more diverse than might be expected among a group of people staring unemployment in the face. Many Ukip and Tory representatives openly rejoiced at the prospect of clearing their desks in Brussels.
East of England Conservative MEP David Campbell Bannerman said he was "stunned and delighted" with the result.
Ukip's David Coburn, one of Scotland's MEPs, was also celebrating the news that he would soon be surplus to requirements.
But other representatives were not taking the news so well. Labour's North-East of England MEP Paul Brannen called the vote a "catastrophic mistake" and warned that the worst is yet to come.
Glenis Willmott, MEP for the East Midlands and Labour leader in the European Parliament, tweeted she was "heartbroken."
-
Political cartoons for February 7Cartoons Saturday’s political cartoons include an earthquake warning, Washington Post Mortem, and more
-
5 cinematic cartoons about Bezos betting big on 'Melania'Cartoons Artists take on a girlboss, a fetching newspaper, and more
-
The fall of the generals: China’s military purgeIn the Spotlight Xi Jinping’s extraordinary removal of senior general proves that no-one is safe from anti-corruption drive that has investigated millions
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
