JILL LAWLESS and RAF CASERT
Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen, adieu.
With little fanfare, Britain left the European Union on Friday after 47 years of membership, taking a leap into the unknown in a historic blow to the bloc.
The U.K.'s departure became official at 11 p.m. (2300GMT), midnight in Brussels, where the EU is headquartered. Thousands of enthusiastic Brexit supporters gathered outside Britain's Parliament to welcome the moment they'd longed for since Britain's 52%-48% vote in June 2016 to walk away from the club it had joined in 1973. The flag-waving crowd erupted in cheers as Big Ben bonged 11 times — on a recording. Parliament's real bell has been silenced for repairs.
In a message from nearby 10 Downing St., Prime Minister Boris Johns
