Prime minister Theresa May confirms on Sunday that she will trigger Article 50 before the end of March 2017, with plans for a ‘great repeal bill’ following shortly after Brexit. Speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, May said she hoped to have some ‘preparation in place’ before March, allowing a smooth process of negotiation
• Brexit: Theresa May to trigger article 50 by end of March 2017 </s> British prime minister Theresa May will trigger article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal notification of the United Kingdom’s intention to leave the European Union, on March 29th, a spokesman for the British leader said on Monday. The United Kingdom has informed European Council president Donald Tusk’s office of Ms May’s intention, the spokesman said.

The move will formally trigger Britain’s exit from the European Union following a referendum in June last year.

Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty sets out how an EU country might voluntarily leave the union. Article 50 says: “Any member state may decide to withdraw from the union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements.”

No country has ever invoked article 50 before.

The announcement means that Ms May will meet her self-imposed deadline of the end of March to get the withdrawal process under way.

She was cleared to take the step when the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act gained royal assent last week, after a Supreme Court ruling forced her to seek the approval of both Houses of Parliament.

Ms May will address MPs in a statement to the House of Commons following her regular weekly session of prime minister’s questions on March 29th.

Mr Tusk has previously said he expects to release an initial response to the article 50 notification within 48 hours, and an extraordinary summit of the remaining 27 EU member states is due to be called within four to six weeks.

That summit will draw up a mandate for the European Commission’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, probably allowing talks to begin in earnest in May. </s> Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal notification of the United Kingdom’s intention to leave the European Union, on March 29, a spokesman for the British leader said on Monday.

The United Kingdom has informed European Council President Donald Tusk’s office of May’s intention, the spokesman said.

More to come. </s> The Government will introduce a “Great Repeal Bill” to Parliament that aims to end the authority of European law in Britain from the very first moment the country has left the EU.

The historic proposal will scrap the European Communities Act, absorbing parts into UK law while giving ministers powers to ditch other elements they want rid of.

Prime Minister Theresa May and Brexit Secretary David Davis plan to introduce the Bill as early as the spring, with its passage through Parliament set to take place in parallel to withdrawal negotiations in Brussels.

The announcement is the centrepiece of the first day of Conservative Conference, with Mr Davis set to tell the party faithful the change will mean “power and authority” returned to the UK.

But it also sets the scene for a major clash in Parliament, as the Government will have to pass the Bill through a House of Lords where the Tories are in a minority and even some Conservative peers suggest they may try and delay Brexit legislation.

Ms May is expected to implement Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, formally triggering Brexit talks, early in 2017. That starts a two-year countdown in which a withdrawal deal must be struck before the UK departs the EU.

Mr Davis will say: "As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law. It’s very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply.

"To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day. It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

"That is what people voted for - power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country."

The Great Repeal Bill will, on day one of Brexit, end the authority of EU law by abolishing the 1972 European Communities Act - the legislation which means all law formed in Europe has primacy in the UK.

Currently if there is a clash between Parliament and EU law, the European Court of Justice decides on the matter and has in the past delivered judgments binding on the UK. The Government’s planned Bill will end ECJ jurisdiction in Britain.

At the same time, the new Bill will convert existing EU law into domestic law, while allowing Parliament to amend or repeal any other EU law after scrutiny and debate.

The Bill will also include powers for ministers to make some changes by secondary legislation, which is not voted on by the Commons in the same way a piece of primary legislation would be. Ministers already have such powers to implement parts of EU law. Officials say the powers are necessary to give the Government flexibility and to take account of the negotiations with the EU as they proceed.

But Mr Davis will dismiss any suggestion that ministers intend to use Brexit to ditch workers' right and in his speech will seek to highlight areas, including annual and parental leave, where UK law goes further than minimum EU standards.

He will say: "To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying ‘when we leave, employment rights will be eroded’, I say firmly and unequivocally ‘no they won’t’.” </s> Theresa May will trigger EU withdrawal talks under Article 50 on March 29, Downing Street has announced.

The Prime Minister's letter officially notifying the European Council of the UK's intention to quit will set in train a two-year negotiation process expected to lead to Britain leaving the EU on March 29 2019.

Britain's ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, informed the office of European Council president Donald Tusk on Monday morning of the Prime Minister's plans.

The announcement means that Mrs May will meet her self-imposed deadline of the end of March to get the withdrawal process under way.

She was cleared to take the step when the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act gained royal assent last week, after a Supreme Court ruling forced her to seek the approval of both Houses of Parliament.

Mrs May will address MPs in a statement to the House of Commons following her regular weekly session of Prime Minister's Questions on March 29.

Mr Tusk has previously said he expects to release an initial response to the Article 50 notification within 48 hours, and an extraordinary summit of the remaining 27 EU member states is due to be called within four to six weeks.

That summit will draw up a mandate for the European Commission's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, probably allowing talks to begin in earnest in May.

Notification of the historic step will come in the form of a letter from the Prime Minister to Mr Tusk, though Downing Street did not make clear whether this would be a physical letter handed to the European Council president by a UK representative or might be sent electronically.

It will be the first time that the provisions of Article 50 - which sets out the process for any EU member state "to withdraw from the Union in accordance with its own constitutional requirements" - have been activated.

Notification comes 279 days after the referendum of June 23 last year delivered a 52%-48% majority in favour of withdrawal.

Mrs May, who was visiting Swansea on Monday, is expected to conduct visits in all four nations of the UK before notification takes place.

The PM's official spokesman said: "Earlier this morning, the UK Permanent Representative to the EU informed the office of Donald Tusk that it is the UK's intention to trigger Article 50 on March 29.

"There will be a letter. She will notify President Tusk in writing. The Prime Minister will give a statement to Parliament as well.

"We have always been clear that we will trigger by the end of March and we have met that timetable."

The spokesman said Britain wanted to start withdrawal negotiations "promptly", but accepts that "it is right that the 27 have a chance to agree their position" before talks start. </s> Theresa May will trigger EU withdrawal talks under Article 50 on March 29, Downing Street said.

The Prime Minister's letter which officially notifies the European Council of the UK's intention to quit and will set in train a two-year negotiating process expected to lead to Britain leaving the EU on March 29, 2019.

Britain's ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, informed the office of European Council president Donald Tusk on Monday morning of the Prime Minister's plans.

While Brexit Secretary David Davis said in a statement that the country is "on the threshold of the most important negotiation" for a generation.

Ms May was cleared to trigger Article 50 when the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act gained Royal assent last week, after a Supreme Court ruling forced her to seek the approval of both Houses of Parliament. </s> Theresa May will unveil plans to enshrine all European Union regulations that apply to Britain in domestic law when the country leaves the bloc at her first Conservative conference as prime minister.

She will tell her party that she intends to pass legislation to transpose EU law on to the UK statute book when Brexit happens.

May again ruled out the prospect of an early general election, insisting that she wants stability for the country as she arrived for the gathering in Birmingham. She told the Sunday Times: “We will introduce, in the next Queen’s speech, a ‘great repeal’ bill that will remove the European Communities Act from the statute book.

“This marks the first stage in the UK becoming a sovereign and independent country once again. It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country. It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end.”

May and the Brexit secretary, David Davis, will use the opening day of the conference to detail plans for their “great repeal” bill that will allow Britain to “take back control” of its legislation. The bill will repeal the 1972 European Communities Act, which gives direct effect to all EU law, and at the same time convert Brussels regulations into domestic law. 



This will give parliament the power to unpick the laws it wants to keep, remove or amend at a later date, in a move that could be welcomed by MPs who are keen to have a say over the terms of Brexit. The move is also designed to give certainty to businesses and protection for workers’ rights that are enshrined in EU law.

Davis will say: “To those who are trying to frighten British workers, saying, ‘When we leave, employment rights will be eroded’, I say firmly and unequivocally, ‘No, they won’t.’”

The bill is expected to be brought forward in the next parliamentary session (2017-18) and will not pre-empt the two-year process of leaving the EU, which begins when the government triggers article 50.

Davis will tell the conference: “We will follow the process to leave the EU which is set out in article 50. The prime minister has been clear that she won’t start the formal negotiations about our exit before the end of the year. As we prepare for those negotiations in Europe, we also need to prepare for the impact of Brexit on domestic law.

“It’s very simple. At the moment we leave, Britain must be back in control. And that means EU law must cease to apply. To ensure continuity, we will take a simple approach. EU law will be transposed into domestic law, wherever practical, on exit day. It will be for elected politicians here to make the changes to reflect the outcome of our negotiation and our exit.

“That is what people voted for: power and authority residing once again with the sovereign institutions of our own country.”

The repeal bill will also end the primacy of EU law, meaning rulings by the European court of justice will stop applying to the UK once the legislation takes effect. It will also include powers to make changes to the laws using secondary legislation as negotiations over the UK’s future relationship proceed, although more wide-ranging amendments or new laws may come forward in separate bills. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May calls for "a truly global Britain" after confirming the deadline for triggering Article 50 to leave the EU

The UK will begin the formal Brexit negotiation process by the end of March 2017, PM Theresa May has said.

The timing on triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty means the UK looks set to leave the EU by summer 2019.

Mrs May told the Tory Party conference - her first as prime minister - the government would strike a deal with the EU as an "independent, sovereign" UK.

Voters had given their verdict "with emphatic clarity", she said, and ministers had to "get on with the job".

In a speech on the first day of the conference in Birmingham, she also gave details of a Great Repeal Bill which she said would end EU law's primacy in the UK.

She attacked those who "have still not accepted the result of the referendum", adding: "It is up to the government not to question, quibble or backslide on what we have been instructed to do, but to get on with the job."

She told delegates: "We are going to be a fully independent, sovereign country - a country that is no longer part of a political union with supranational institutions that can override national parliaments and courts.

"And that means we are going, once more, to have the freedom to make our own decisions on a whole host of different matters, from how we label our food to the way in which we choose to control immigration."

Mrs May said a "truly global Britain is possible, and it is in sight", adding: "We don't need - as I sometimes hear people say - to 'punch above our weight' because our weight is substantial enough already."

Reacting to Mrs May's comments about Article 50:

The CBI said there was still an "urgent need for answers" on single market access and business regulations

The cross-party Open Britain campaign warned Mrs May about being "gung ho" and said she should not "expect any favours from Parliament" on her repeal bill

Labour's shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry said the Article 50 commitment was "meaningless" without the government saying what it wanted to achieve

European Council President Donald Tusk said the announcement brought "welcome clarity"

Scotland's Brexit minister warned the Scottish Parliament might block the "Great Repeal Bill"

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said it was "depressing" that government decisions were "being driven by ideology of the hard Brexiteers, rather than interests of country"

Leading Brexit campaigner Iain Duncan Smith said the PM had set a "fairly reasonable" timetable and thought Article 50 could be triggered sooner than March

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron called for clarity before Article 50 was triggered, adding: "We can't start the process without any idea of where we're going"

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May confirms Article 50 deadline

The PM, who had previously only said she would not trigger Article 50 this year, ended speculation about the government's timetable on BBC One's The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday morning.

She said it would be done by "the first quarter of 2017", marking the start of a two-year exit process.

The process of leaving the EU would be "quite complex", she said, but added that she hoped there would now be "preparatory work" with the remaining EU members so that "once the trigger comes we will have a smoother process of negotiation".

She added: "It's not just important for the UK, but important for Europe as a whole that we're able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU."

The PM also said June's vote to leave the EU had been a "clear message from the British people that they want us to control movement of people coming into the UK".

Analysis

Image copyright AP

By Laura Kuenssberg, BBC political editor

Theresa May has appeared dozens of times on Tory conference platforms before, but before she had uttered a word, this afternoon marked an occasion that will matter to the party's history.

She may not have been elected as prime minister, but with four years until the next general election, far from sticking to David Cameron's plan, she plans not to waste a minute implementing her agenda.

It will be far from easy - former ministers are already muttering about her direction. She has a tiny majority, and no individual mandate for her reforms.

But on the biggest challenge before her - taking the UK out of the European Union - Theresa May still is characteristically reticent.

Read more from Laura

Mrs May also promised a "Great Repeal Bill" in the next Queen's Speech, to remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book and enshrine all existing EU law into British law.

The repeal bill will enable Parliament to amend and cancel any unwanted legislation and also end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the UK.

Mrs May said this was an "important step", adding: "That means the UK will be an independent sovereign nation, it will be making its own laws."

The repeal of the 1972 act will not take effect until the UK leaves the EU under Article 50.

European Communities Act 1972

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May told the BBC's Andrew Marr that repealing the EU act will make the UK "sovereign and independent"

In 1972 the UK Parliament passed the European Communities Act

It gave direct effect to EU law, so if there is a conflict between an act of the UK Parliament and EU law, Westminster loses out and EU law prevails

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) became a kind of Supreme Court of Europe, interpreting EU law with judgements that were binding on all member states

Did the UK lose its sovereignty in 1972?

Reality Check: How would the UK rid itself of EU law? </s> Downing Street has revealed Theresa May will trigger EU withdrawal talks under Article 50 on March 29.

The Prime Minister's letter officially notifying the European Council of the UK's intention to quit will set in train a two-year negotiation process expected to lead to Britain leaving the EU on March 29 2019.

The announcement means the PM will meet her self-imposed deadline of the end of March to get the withdrawal process under way.

She was cleared to take the step when the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Act gained royal assent last week.

That came after a Supreme Court ruling forced her to seek the approval of both Houses of Parliament.

May will announce the move to MPs on March 29 in a Commons statement following Prime Minister's Questions.

In response to the news, European Council president Donald Tusk tweeted: "Within 48 hours of the UK triggering Article 50, I will present the draft Brexit guidelines to the EU27 Member States."

Tusk has previously said he expects to call an extraordinary summit of the 27 other members within four to six weeks, to draw up a mandate for the European Commission's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier. Under this scenario, talks are likely to begin in earnest in May.

An EU spokesman said it was "ready and waiting" for Theresa May's letter.

A No 10 spokesman said the UK's Ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, informed the European Council, headed by Tusk, earlier on Monday of the date that Article 50 would be triggered.

The spokesman said the government wants negotiations to start as soon as possible but added that they "fully appreciate it is right that the other 27 EU states have time to agree their position".

The Article 50 letter is expected to be short, possibly extending to two pages at most, and May will use it to publicly reiterate her general objectives - such as leaving the single market but reaching a mutually beneficial agreement on trade and other issues.

The spokesman also dismissed suggestions of an early general election, saying: "It's not going to happen."

Speaking in Swansea during the first of a series of visits around the UK before she triggers Article 50, May said she was intent on "delivering on Brexit and getting the right deal".

Last year's referendum result, she added, "was not just about leaving the EU" but was a vote for a "change in the way the country works".

"Part of that is building a strong economy and ensuring that the benefits of economic growth and prosperity are felt across every part of the UK."

Brexit Secretary David Davis said the UK was now "on the threshold of the most important negotiation for this country for a generation".

"The government is clear in its aims," he said. "A deal that works for every nation and region of the UK and indeed for all of Europe - a new, positive partnership between the UK and our friends and allies in the European Union."

EU leaders have said they want to conclude the talks within 18 months to allow the terms of the UK's exit to be ratified by the UK Parliament and the European Parliament, as well as approved by the necessary majority of EU states.

May has said MPs and peers will have a vote on the deal she negotiates but she has insisted the UK will leave anyway, even if parliament rejects any deal.

The government has said it expects to secure a positive outcome but made clear there is a chance of there being no formal agreement.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, who has called for the public to have their say on the terms of exit in a further referendum, said May's decision to rule out membership of the single market before negotiations began was proof she was pursuing an "extreme and divisive" Brexit.

"On the day Theresa May is travelling the country claiming she wants to bring the UK together, she lets it be known she is about to unleash division and bitterness," he said.

"Leaving the single market was not on the ballot paper in the referendum, it is a political choice made by Theresa May."

Later this week, EU leaders will gather in Rome to mark the 60th anniversary of the Treaties of Rome, which established the European Economic Community - the initial forerunner to the EU. Mrs May is not attending the event.
Theresa May, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, announces March 2017 as the deadline for triggering Article 50 and says that her government will introduce a "Great Repeal Bill" that will repeal the European Communities Act 1972 once the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.