Johnson hails UK’s ‘new beginning’ as Brexit day arrives

By JILL LAWLESS
LONDON — Britain begins the day as a member of the European Union. Its status at the end of the day — as a proud nation that has reclaimed its sovereignty, or a diminished presence in Europe and the world — will still be up for debate.
Britain officially departs the EU at 11 p.m. local time Friday, midnight in Brussels. The departure comes 3½ years after the country voted by a margin of 52%-48% to walk away from the club that it had joined in 1973.
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