The ‘Brexit’ debacle, explained

British Prime Minister David Cameron is trying to convince the rest of the European Union to give his country a better deal.

The goal? Ensure the U.K. remains a member of the 28-nation bloc.

If EU leaders reach a new deal for Britain, which could come as early as Friday, it’ll make it easier for Cameron to convince the British public to vote for the country to stay in the bloc.

A U.K. referendum on the issue is expected to come as early as June.

Cameron argues that being part of the club is good for the British economy. But his opponents are pushing for a British exit, or Brexit, arguing that EU membership is costly, creates regulatory red tape and brings in too much migration.

These numbers show just how much is at stake:

Investment

The European Union is a major source of foreign direct investment in Britain. Other EU countries invested £496 billion ($708 billion) in Britain in 2014, almost half of all outside investments in the country, according to research by the U.K. parliament.

Trade

Trade with the EU is very important to the British economy: 45% of British exports — worth £230 billion ($329 billion) — end up in other EU member states.

Roughly 53% of imports to the U.K. — worth £289 billion ($413 billion) — come from the bloc.

This trade creates and supports a huge number of jobs. Around 3.4 million British jobs depend upon exports to the EU, according to data by the European Institute.