Brexit day: everything planned for the date, from Big Ben’s bongs to Parliament Square party

Whether you voted to Leave or Remain, Britain will be departing the EU on 31 January.

After three years of negotiations, failed negotiations, parliamentary deadlock and more negotiations, the UK finally leaves the Union behind, and Brexit will be complete.

There will be thousands of Eurosceptic voters looking to celebrate, so what events are in place to commemorate the historic date?

Here’s everything you need to know:

Will Big Ben bong?

Big Ben is currently in silent hibernation as a four-year schedule of renovation continues on the tower.

The bell isn’t expected to bong until the work is completed in 2021 – with a few exceptions like New Year’s Eve and Remembrance Sunday – but strident Brexiteer Mark Francois is leading efforts to get the bell restarted.

Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle has said he would back the scheme as long as MPs voted in favour, while pro-Brexit businessman Lord Ashcroft has offered to foot the cost.

A Downing Street spokesman insisted that no final decisions had been made on how 31 January will be marked. Some in the Government are nervous about holding too many flashy events in case it alienates people who voted Remain.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has urged Eurosceptics to launch a crowdfunding campaign to raise the £500,000 to pay for the world’s most famous bell to be brought back into service for the evening.

Johnson also made clear that the government will play no role in helping to raise the money, telling Eurosceptics that while he sympathises with their cause, they must pay for any Brexit celebrations.

But the fundraising drive appears to have got off to a slow start.

By Tuesday (14 January) night there were 18 active pages on crowdfunding website GoFundMe, but the majority had received no donations at all, and the most successful page so far had only collected £205.

What is Nigel Farage’s ‘Brexit Celebration’?

Leader of the Brexit Party Nigel Farage is backing a “Brexit Celebration” event hosted by Leave Means Leave in Parliament Square .

The event – if it does go ahead – is expected to attract thousands of supporters and will feature speeches by senior Brexiteers.

The original date on which Britain was scheduled to leave the EU, 29 March 2019, saw two rallies outside the House of Parliament.

One featured mainstream politicians and the other was organised by the far right and starred Tommy Robinson – which ended up with clashes between police and protesters.

Will there be commemorative coins?

The Treasury is expected to announce it will mint a commemorative coin to mark 31 January.

At the time of writing, an official announcement hasn’t been forthcoming, but that’s understandable given it would be the third time the Royal Mint, overseen by the Chancellor, has announced a special Brexit coin.

First Philip Hammond promised a souvenir £10 coin, with 10,000 copies due to be minted in time for 29 March before the first delay to Brexit.

Next his predecessor Sajid Javid ordered the Mint to work on a 50p piece to go into mass circulation, bearing the motto “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” alongside the revised Brexit date of 31 October.

After Britain’s departure was postponed again, thousands of the coins had to be melted down – any which survived would be hugely valuable to collectors.

So an announcement on a third attempt at commemorative coins may be put off until Britain’s leaving the EU is 100% definitely actually happening.

Some Brexit supporters have called on the Royal Mail to follow suit by producing a set of commemorative stamps, but the company has refused.

Will anything happen at all?

In his New Year message Boris Johnson urged the opposing sides in the Brexit battle to “turn the page on division and rancour” and prepare for a new chapter in the nation’s history.

For large numbers of Remainers, 11pm on 31 January it will be a profoundly depressing experience which symbolises Britain pulling up the drawbridge.

Navigating these conflicting positions presents Mr Johnson with a tricky dilemma which goes wider than whether Big Ben is briefly brought back to life to “bong out” the UK’s exit from the EU.

All the signs are that Downing Street will respond by avoiding any sense of triumphalism at the end of the month, conscious of divisions across the country and within the Tory Party on the issue.

Its plans are understood to include flying Union flags around Parliament Square intended more as a demonstration of the links that bind the UK’s four nations rather than a “thank you and goodbye” message to the EU.

Mr Johnson and ministers will likely stay well away from any celebration; they know that their election-winning coalition included millions of Remain voters whose hearts will be heavy on 31 January.