Brexit divided the country but whether you voted to leave or remain, today Theresa May will begin our departure from the EU by triggering Article 50.

What exactly this will mean for us in Cumbria has been the subject of fierce debate over the last nine months and no doubt that debate will continue to go on and questions will keep being asked.

The questions range from the philosophical to practical and touch on just about everything in between.

Questions such as: Will I be worse or better off financially? What will this mean in the short/medium/long term? How will my business be affected? How will my children and grandchildren be affected? Will I still have the benefits of the E111 card when I travel to Europe? Will I have to wait in a different queue at passport control at airports? Will I have to pay more for food? Is this the beginning of the end of the United Kingdom?

The answers will become clear as we negotiate our way out of the EU. Two things are clear though: One the UK will need top negotiators to steer us way through the next few years and ensure the UK and EU both have a beneficial deal at the other side.

And two: Brexit will not be the solution to all the UK's problems. It will not 'solve' great issues of the day such as globalisation, immigration or the NHS crisis.

John Stevenson, MP for Carlisle, said: “We seem to think Brexit is the answer for everything and it's simply not the case... I just think we have got to get it into proportion.”

He diplomatically added: “I personally think there will be some great successes from Brexit and I think there will be some things we wish we could have done better.”

Rory Stewart, MP for Penrith and The Border, believes Britain now has to make the best of Brexit.

He said: "The decision is made, and we should be energetic and optimistic. ‎We need to remind people that this is still the same Britain, that the things about Britain that we fundamentally enjoy, remain the same.

"I personally believe that we need to invest now more than ever in rebuilding Britain’s international position. More than ever, we need nimble and intelligent ways of thinking about Britain in the world."

Workington MP Sue Hayman would like to see a bit more attention to detail as to what communities need to prosper and to make sure that any negotiations don't put anything like that at risk unnecessarily.

She said: "I think the most important thing is that we work in a collaborative, cooperative way to get a really good future relationship with the European Union because it's so important.

"I want to make sure that any deal that comes out of it, any kind of priorities that the Government puts on Article 50 negotiations, have to also help areas like west Cumbria.

"Any benefits have to be shared across the country because west Cumbria gets forgotten about time and time again."

On the whole, the MPs are cautiously optimistic about the UK's future.

When asked what the best outcomes of the negotiations could be, Mr Stewart said: "We need to make commitments: to increase the foreign office budget; to strike new and interesting deals with Commonwealth countries; to work on new military cooperation agreements.

"But the first priority of the government has to be to spend a lot of time in Europe to agree a deal that is good for Britain and good for Europe; a win-win deal. These will be difficult negotiations, but we should start by being as open and honest as we can with our European partners.

"Personally, I want our relationship with the EU going forward, to reflect the mature, cooperative ties that close friends and allies enjoy."

Mr Stevenson believes that on the whole, Carlisle residents are on board with Brexit. Leave votes won in Carlisle with 35,895 voting to leave and 23,788 to remain.

Overall, Cumbria voted to leave the EU, though thousands voted to stay. Allerdale and Copeland voted by a majority of 9,380 and 9,109 respectively to leave the EU - though 36,848 residents voted to stay.

The gap between leavers and remainers was closest in Eden, which also had the highest turn out of 75.9 per cent with 14,807 votes to remain and 16,911 to leave.

Mr Stevenson said although he voted remain, he is happy to move on and believes only a small group of remainers are finding it hard to get on board.

But at the same time, he is concerned that because Brexit is taking up so much of the Government's focus, other important issues are getting less attention. He is also adamantly against Scotland leaving the UK, which he believes is against the interests of both countries. He is also concerned about the affects of Northern Ireland.

He said: “I just think people can make too much of Brexit. It's hugely significance, ofcourse, but business adapts, people adapt, Cumbria will adapt.”

Mr Stewart said: "Cumbria has benefited greatly from EU funding in the past, so Brexit could pose a challenge to our economy and to the businesses and organisations who would typically be in receipt of these grants. There are also concerns for our tourism industry which relies heavily on migrant workers.

"However, securing the status of EU citizens is a priority as soon as Article 50 is triggered and the negotiations have begun, and the arrangements for the UK's exit will undoubtedly reflect the immense contribution made by EU citizens."