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> 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. </s> EU's Tusk: May indicated could trigger Brexit talks in Jan-Feb

BRATISLAVA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May has signalled that she could be ready to launch formal Brexit negotiations in January or February next year, European Council President Donald Tusk said on Friday, citing a recent talk with May.

The prime minister herself has ruled out giving formal notification this year of Britain's intention to leave the European Union under Article 50 of the EU treaty.

But beyond that, she has been vague about when her government might trigger the process, which would set in motion a two-year countdown to Britain's exit.

"Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me," Tusk said of his visit to London on Sept. 8.

"She declared it's almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it's quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January, maybe in February next year."

The remarks in English by the former Polish premier left open whether May had indicated she would launch the process then or would simply be in a position to do so, having secured agreement in her cabinet on what Britain wants to achieve and having set up the negotiating teams London will need to deal with Brussels.

Tusk said the other 27 EU leaders, whose summit he chaired on Friday in Bratislava to plot a course ahead for the bloc after the shock of Britain's June referendum to quit were being patient for now: "Our British colleagues need more time to prepare themselves for these negotiations," he told reporters.

"We are well prepared for these negotiations and we could in fact start these procedures even tomorrow," he added, saying that the EU's goal was "the closest possible future relations" with Britain while negotiating in the interests of the bloc.

Senior officials in Brussels and national capitals say they are very anxious that Britain complete its divorce by mid-2019. Failure to hit that deadline would complicate elections to the European Parliament and the appointment of a new EU executive, the Commission, that year as well as hobble negotiations on a new seven-year EU budget.

However, Britain is wary of triggering Article 50 because this could weaken its leverage. It would then be at the mercy of an extremely tight two-year timeline to negotiate the divorce, risking a loss of preferential access to its main export market.

Although the summit was called in the wake of the June 23 vote in Britain, the forthcoming negotiations with London were "not a major topic" for the leaders in Bratislava, Tusk said.

EU leaders are waiting to hear from May on what she wants and Tusk repeated the mantra that there could be "no negotiations before notification".

Some governments, notably among London's traditional northern allies appear more willing to offer May some guidance on what new relations they might accept before she triggers Article 50, whereas France and others are reluctant to engage until Britain commits itself to a deadline.

The government in Paris, facing elections next spring in which the anti-EU National Front is leading in opinion polls, does not want to given voters the impression that leaving the bloc might be beneficial.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker told the same news conference that Britain could not achieve full access to the EU market that it would ideally like if it closed off free immigration for EU citizens: "I cannot see any possibility of compromising on that very issue," he said.

Summit host Robert Fico, the Slovak prime minister, also underlined that he and other east European leaders whose citizens make up much of the EU immigrant population in Britain would not let those people become "second class citizens". (Reporting by Alastair Macdonald; @macdonaldrtr; Editing by Noah Barkin) </s> Image copyright EPA Image caption Theresa May met European Council president Donald Tusk last week in London

UK Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union early next year, according to a top EU official.

European Council President Donald Tusk said Mrs May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.

The BBC's Tom Bateman says this is the clearest sign yet of when the two-year withdrawal process may start.

Mrs May's office said it would not be launched this year, but did not confirm Mr Tusk's account.

Formal negotiations over the withdrawal cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for leaving the union.

The timing of the process has so-far been clouded by uncertainty, with no clear signal from Mrs May's government on when it would begin.

There is also confusion over the nature of the the UK's future relationship with the bloc, especially whether it intends to remain a member of the single market.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that the European Union was in a "critical situation" as EU leaders met

Mr Tusk spoke from the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, where Europe's 27 other leaders are gathered for an informal summit without the UK.

Speaking about a meeting with the British PM in London last week, Mr Tusk said: "Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me.

"She declared that it's almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it's quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January maybe in February next year."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker insisted that the UK could not get access to the single market without accepting the free movement of workers.

Mrs May has indicated that in any negotiations, her government would insist on placing curbs on EU citizens entering the UK.

'High-wire act'

Our correspondent says invoking Article 50 early next year may be ambitious, as the prime minister has made clear she she wants time to prepare the best deal for Britain.

During the Bratislava summit, the 27 remaining members states unveiled a six-month "road map" of measures designed to restore public confidence in the EU.

But rifts over the record influx of refugees and migrants were on display as soon as the meeting ended.

Matteo Renzi, the Italian prime minister, said: "I'm not satisfied with the conclusions on growth or on immigration.

"To define as a step forward today's document on migrants would require a form of fantasy, a verbal high-wire act." </s> Brexit: Theresa May had a blazing row with Donald Tusk after EU leaders condemned her Chequers plans

She now faces weeks of further chaos as a group of 40 pro-Brexit MPs set to join forces in voting against her Chequers plan, a move that could further derail progress as the clock ticks down to the Brexit date of March 29, 2019.

This has led the Prime Minister to declare that Britain was edging closer to walking away from the EU without a withdrawal deal.

After European Council President Donald Tusk said the other EU27 leaders “all agreed” that Chequers plans would not work, Mrs May still insisted that a deal is possible, but also admitted there was “a lot of hard work to be done”.

In what proved to be an extraordinary day at a summit in Salzburg, European powerhouses ambushed the Prime Minister by outright condemning her proposals, particularly her vision for the Irish border.

7am update: May fuming following furious row with Donald Tusk

Theresa May has been left fuming following a blazing row with Donald Tusk that saw EU leaders turn on her Chequers plans during a chaotic day for the Prime Minister.

The European Council President insisted that the other 27 leaders “all agreed” that her Chequers plans would not work.

He said in a press conference: “Everybody shared the view that while there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal, the suggested framework will not work, not least as it risks undermining the single market.”

Mrs May then faced the press, but insisted that a Brexit deal is still possible and despite offering a fresh concession on Northern Ireland, she admitted there was “a lot of hard work to be done”.

In a warning to the EU, she said: 'Let nobody be in any doubt - we are preparing for 'no deal'.

If we get to a position where it is not possible to do a deal then the British people can have confidence that we will have done what is necessary to ensure we make a success of leaving the European Union regardless of the terms on which we do so.'

The Prime Minister also acknowledged she had a “frank” meeting with Donald Tusk shortly before her own press conference. </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> The future of Brexit was being decided behind closed doors in Brussels, as leaders of the 27 remaining EU states wrangled over a possible postponement in Theresa May’s absence.

The Prime Minister’s plea for a three-month extension to the negotiation process to June 30 to allow her time to prepare for an orderly departure appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

Instead, the EU27 appear determined to ensure that the UK leaves before European Parliament elections on May 23-26, unless Mrs May relents and allows Britain to join in.

European Council president Donald Tusk tabled proposals for the date of Brexit to be put off from March 29 to May 22, on the condition that MPs approve Mrs May’s withdrawal deal when it comes before the Commons for a third time.

But the draft communique setting out the plan was torn up and rewritten as leaders argued over alternative dates.

A new proposal backed by France and Belgium would allow the UK to remain until May 7 whether or not MPs vote Mrs May’s deal through.

The unconditional offer would take the pressure off the PM to stage a third “meaningful vote” next week, and would remove the need for an emergency Brussels summit next Thursday if she failed.

Under this plan, a longer extension would be available only if the UK declares by April 11 – the final date allowed by electoral law – that it will take part in the Euro-elections.

The so-called “flextension” plan would pile pressure on MPs who are resisting agreeing an exit deal, while keeping open the possibility of a longer delay if the UK decides to adopt a new approach.

It would also ensure that the cut-off date came before a May 9 summit in Romania intended to mark the “renewal” of the European project.

European Parliament president Antonio Tajani told the EU27 that MEPs want April 11 to be the final cut-off for any extension.

But Germany seemed keen to avoid ratcheting up pressure on Mrs May, with Chancellor Angela Merkel promising work “until the last hour” to ensure that Britain does not leave without a deal.

Behind-the-scenes photos showed EU officials gathered round laptops in the corridors working on new versions of the communique.

Mrs May made the case for a June 30 extension to the Article 30 withdrawal process in a 90-minute presentation to the leaders of the other 27 states.

The Prime Minister was reportedly pressed on what she will do if MPs reject her deal for a third time – having voted it down by a margin of 230 in January and 149 last week – but did not commit herself to a Plan B.

She then left the EU27 to continue their discussions in her absence in a meeting which dragged for two hours beyond its scheduled conclusion before they broke for dinner.

The PM had been due to join them for the meal of lentil terrine with langoustines followed by roast duckling, but was forced to dine alone as they continued to debate Brexit as they ate.

The communique also suggested the EU would formally adopt two documents agreed by Mrs May with European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Strasbourg last week, with the intention of reassuring MPs that the controversial backstop will not be permanent.

As she arrived in Brussels for what was slated to be the UK’s final EU summit as a member of the bloc, the Prime Minister said she “sincerely hopes” Britain will be able to leave with a deal.

But several leaders warned that if MPs turn down her Withdrawal Agreement for a third time, the UK could be heading for a no-deal Brexit on March 29.

French president Emmanuel Macron said only a short “technical” extension was on offer and if MPs reject the agreement “it will guide everybody to a no-deal for sure”.

Describing the UK as being in “political crisis”, Mr Macron said: “There needs to be a profound political change if there is to be an extension which is anything other than technical.”

Luxembourg’s prime minister Xavier Bettel said: “At the moment, there are more non-options on the table than options… I sometimes have the feeling that we are in the waiting room, a bit like Waiting for Godot. But Godot never came so I hope this time they will come.”

Mrs May was coming under intense pressure after a poor reception from some of her own MPs to her Downing Street statement on Wednesday, when she blamed MPs for failing to implement the result of the 2016 EU referendum and told frustrated voters “I am on your side”.

But Number 10 defended her comments, saying they had been intended as a “message to the public” to explain why she had decided to seek an extension to the Article 50 withdrawal process.

And she put the spotlight back on MPs as she arrived in Brussels, saying: “What is important is that Parliament delivers on the result of the referendum and that we deliver Brexit for the British people. I sincerely hope that we can do that with a deal.”

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt sought to defend the Prime Minister’s statement, saying she was under “extraordinary pressure” and feels a “sense of frustration” but is “absolutely determined to deliver what people voted for.”

Jeremy Corbyn held what he described as “very constructive discussions” in Brussels with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier and European Commission secretary general Martin Selmayr, which he said had focused on the means to prevent a no-deal Brexit next Friday.

The Labour leader twice declined to rule out the option of halting Brexit by revoking the Article 50 letter informing Brussels of Britain’s intention to quit, though a party spokesman later said revocation was “not in any way necessary”. </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> European Council president Donald Tusk has said a 'short' Brexit delay could be possible - but only if Parliament votes for Theresa May's deal.

Last week MPs voted to delay Brexit beyond the scheduled withdrawal date of March 29 after Parliament twice rejected the Prime Minister's deal.

However Mr Tusk said he had spoken to the Prime Minister after receiving her formal request for an extension of the Article 50 withdrawal process to the end of June.

Mrs May made the request in a letter to Mr Tusk exactly 1,000 days after the 2016 referendum which delivered a 52% - 48% majority to quit the EU.

The former Polish prime minister told a press conference in Brussels: "In the light of the consultations that I have conducted over the past days, I believe that a short extension would be possible.

"But it would be conditional on a positive vote on the Withdrawal Agreement in the House of Commons.

"The question remains open as to the duration of such an extension."

After his statement, Mr Tusk tweeted: "Even if the hope for final success may seem frail, even illusory, and although Brexit fatigue is increasingly visible and justified, we cannot give up seeking - until the very last moment - a positive solution."

Meanwhile, Theresa May has invited all opposition party leaders for a meeting in her parliamentary office on Wednesday evening.

The leaders of the Labour Party, SNP, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Plaid Cymru and the Independent Group are understood to have been invited.

Last Thursday a motion in Mrs May's name, authorising the Prime Minister to request an extension to the two-year Article 50 negotiation process, was passed by 412 votes to 202 - a majority of 210.

On the same night MPs decisively rejected an attempt by the Independent Group to secure a second referendum on Brexit, by 334 votes to 85.

By the far narrower margin of 314-312, they voted down a cross-party bid for Parliament to seize control of the Brexit process.

Earlier this week the Prime Minister was been told by House Speaker John Bercow that she cannot ask MPs to vote on her Brexit deal for a third time - unless the government makes "substantial" changes.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May suffers another defeat of 286–344 on her Withdrawal Agreement. European Council President Donald Tusk schedules an emergency summit on April 10, two days before Brexit is scheduled to happen.