The UK joined the European Economic Community — the forerunner of the European Union — in 1973 under Prime Minister Edward Heath. A referendum in 1975 confirmed continued membership. The EEC became the EU under the Maastricht Treaty in 1992. The UK never adopted the euro, never joined the Schengen passport-free area and kept a permanent rebate from the EU budget.
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On 23 June 2016 the UK held a second referendum and 51.9% voted to leave. The UK formally left the EU on 31 January 2020 after several years of negotiation, and the transition period ended on 31 December 2020. The current relationship is governed by the EU–UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement.
You may be asked the year the UK joined the EEC (1973), the year of the Brexit referendum (2016), or whether the UK is currently a member of the EU (it is not).
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