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> UK Prime Minister Theresa May says she has asked EU to delay Brexit until June 30

LONDON (AP) — UK Prime Minister Theresa May says she has asked EU to delay Brexit until June 30. </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> 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> 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> LONDON — Prime Minister Theresa May formally asked the European Union on Wednesday to postpone Britain’s departure from the bloc — due in nine days — until June 30. But a frustrated EU has warned it could keep Britain waiting for an answer.

In a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk, May said the Brexit process “clearly will not be completed before 29 March, 2019” — the date fixed in law two years ago for Britain’s departure.

She asked for a delay until June 30, and said she wanted to set out her reasons to EU leaders at a summit in Brussels on Thursday.

Opposition politicians, and pro-EU members of May’s Conservative government, had urged a longer extension, saying a delay of just a few months could leave Britain once again facing a cliff-edge “no-deal” Brexit this summer. Withdrawing without a deal could mean huge disruption for businesses and people in the U.K. and the 27 remaining EU countries.

But a long extension would infuriate the pro-Brexit wing of May’s divided party, and would require Britain to participate in May 23-26 elections for the European Parliament.

May said that would be unacceptable.

“As prime minister I am not prepared to delay Brexit any further than June 30,” she said in the House of Commons.

May said a longer delay would result in Parliament spending “endless hours contemplating its navel on Brexit.”

Britain voted in June 2016 to quit the EU, but almost three years later, its politicians are deadlocked over how — and even whether — to leave.

“Today marks 1,000 days since the referendum and this government has led the country and themselves into crisis, chaos and division,” said opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn.

British lawmakers have twice rejected the Brexit deal May has struck with the bloc. Her troubles deepened when the speaker of the House of Commons ruled earlier this week that she can’t ask Parliament to vote on the deal again unless it is substantially changed. That scuttled May’s plan to try a third time this week to get the agreement approved.

May told Tusk that despite the ruling “it remains my intention to bring the deal back to the House.”

If it is approved, she plans to use the extension until June 30 in order for Parliament to pass the necessary legislation for Britain’s departure.

A delay to Britain’s withdrawal requires the approval of all 27 remaining EU countries — and that’s not guaranteed. Any delay that required Britain to take part in European parliamentary elections would be a major headache for the bloc, and some EU leaders want a short extension to end by May 23, when voting begins.

The head of the bloc’s executive branch said EU leaders are unlikely to agree to a delay at a summit this week.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said if May wanted a delay, “she must bring approval of the negotiated deal and she must bring clear ideas on timing.”

“My impression is … that this week at the European Council there will be no decision, but that we will probably have to meet again next week, because Mrs. May doesn’t have agreement to anything, either in her Cabinet or in Parliament,” Juncker told Germany’s Deutschlandfunk radio.

“As long as we don’t know what Britain could say yes to, we can’t reach a decision.”

Britain’s political chaos has drawn reactions ranging from sympathy to scorn at home and around the world. On its front page Wednesday, the Brexit-backing Daily Mail newspaper bemoaned the time since the referendum as”1,000 lost days.”

From Washington, Donald Trump Jr. said May should have listened to his father, who urged her last year to sue the EU in order to secure better departure terms. The U.S. president has criticized May for not taking his advice.

The president’s multimillionaire son blamed “elites” in London and Brussels for scuttling Brexit. Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Trump Jr. said “democracy in the U.K. is all but dead.”

The gridlock is also causing increasing exasperation among EU leaders.

Juncker said that “in all probability” Britain won’t leave on March 29, but he underlined the EU’s insistence that it will not reopen the painstakingly negotiated withdrawal agreement that British lawmakers have snubbed.

“There will be no renegotiations, no new negotiations and no additional assurances on top of the additional assurances we have already given,” he said.

Juncker said Britain’s Parliament needed to decide whether it would approve the deal that is on the table.

“If that doesn’t happen, and if Great Britain does not leave at the end of March, then we are, I am sorry to say, in the hands of God,” he said. “And I think even God sometimes reaches a limit to his patience.”

Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story. </s> EU leaders were locked in discussions over proposals to postpone Brexit, after a proposed new date of May 22 came under challenge at a Brussels summit.

A draft communique presented to the leaders of the 27 remaining member-states suggested an extension to the withdrawal process to the eve of European Parliament elections, conditional on MPs approving Theresa May’s Brexit deal.

But a meeting to finalise the offer dragged on long after its scheduled conclusion, amid reports that the text was being torn up and rewritten.

Unconfirmed reports suggested that an alternative date of May 7 – two days before a planned summit in Romania to celebrate the “renewal” of the EU – was under consideration, with a possible extension to the end of the year if the UK takes part in European Parliament elections.

The proposed May 22 date was five weeks short of the June 30 date requested by the British Prime Minister and would present her with a race against time to complete legislation needed for an orderly UK withdrawal.

Mrs May made the case for a June 30 extension in a 90-minute presentation to the EU27, before leaving them to discuss their response in her absence.

But the president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, told the leaders that MEPs do not want any extension to run beyond April 11, which is the last possible date for the UK to announce its participation in the elections.

The draft communique suggested that an extension could stretch beyond the May 23-26 European elections only if the UK takes part.

“Given that the UK does not intend to hold elections to the European Parliament, no extension is possible beyond that date,” said the draft. British Prime Minister Theresa May is greeted with a kiss on the cheek by president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

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 British 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.”

Italian PM Giuseppe Conte said: “We think a short delay could be useful. We need to wait for a new vote in the British Parliament.”

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”.

The televised message was described as a “low blow” by former minister Sam Gyimah.

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.”

She added: “What matters is that we recognise that Brexit is the decision of the British people – we need to deliver on that.

“We’re nearly three years on from the original vote – it is now the time for Parliament to decide.” Sir Keir Stammer and Jeremy Corbyn arrive in Brussels ahead of a meeting with Michel Barnier (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

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”.

Mrs May met European Council president Donald Tusk and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for one-on-one talks ahead of her presentation.

With fears in Brussels growing that the UK is heading for a no-deal break, Mr Tusk said he would not hesitate to call an emergency summit next week if that proved necessary.

German chancellor Angela Merkel also said she will work “until the last hour” to try and ensure that Britain does not leave the European Union without a deal.

Speaking to German MPs ahead of the summit, Mrs Merkel stressed “the most important emergency measures” are in place in her country to handle no-deal, but she still hopes to avoid a crisis.

She added: “We will, despite these measures we have taken, work until the last day – I will say until the last hour – to ensure that this emergency planning doesn’t come into effect.

“We will do everything in the remaining, admittedly few, days to achieve an orderly, joint solution.” Theresa May speaks with the media as she arrives in Brussels (Olivier Matthys/AP)

Mrs May formally made the request for an extension to the end of June in a letter to Mr Tusk on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain would be faced with three options if Mrs May’s deal is defeated again next week: revoke Article 50; leave without a deal; or, he said, a longer extension could be granted at an emergency EU summit, but with “onerous conditions”.

“The choice that we have now is one of resolving this issue or extreme unpredictability,” he warned.

Mr Hunt sought to defend the British Prime Minister’s statement, saying she was under “extraordinary pressure” and feels a “sense of frustration” – and said MPs have a “special responsibility” in a hung Parliament.

“She is absolutely determined to deliver what people voted for and I think… the Brexit process has sapped our national confidence and we need to remember now what we’re capable of as a country.”

A No 10 spokeswoman acknowledged Mrs May is facing some “extraordinarily difficult challenges”, but said she is working “tirelessly” to get her deal “over the line”. </s> European Council President Donald Tusk said the European Union and Britain have agreed on a draft declaration on the future of their political relations after Brexit.

Referring to a text discussed on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Tusk said in a tweet Thursday: "The Commission president has informed me that it has been agreed at negotiators' level and agreed in principle at political level, subject to the endorsement of the leaders."

Tusk, who chairs meetings of EU leaders, says he has sent the draft political declaration to the U.K.'s 27 European partners.

"The declaration establishes the parameters of an ambitious, broad, deep and flexible partnership across trade and economic cooperation" and other areas, according to a copy of the document seen by French Press Agency (AFP).

He says the draft declaration still requires "the endorsement of the leaders."

EU leaders are due to meet in Brussels on Sunday to rubber-stamp the declaration and a separate divorce deal.

May will make a statement on Brexit to parliament at 1430 GMT on Thursday, the opposition Labour Party said on Twitter. </s> EU sources say Theresa May missed chance of swift start to Brexit negotiations, which are now likely to start in June

Theresa May has informed the European council that she will trigger article 50 on Wednesday 29 March, but European sources have made clear that Britain could be forced to wait until June to embark on formal talks.



The prime minister’s decision to name the date on which the two-year Brexit clock will start ticking down came as her official spokesman also quashed speculation about an early general election.

Instead he made clear that the government’s focus was set to turn solidly towards the country’s EU exit, which is now guaranteed to be complete by the end of March 2019.

The president of the European council, Donald Tusk, responded quickly to say that he would distribute his draft response to May’s letter among the leaders of the EU27 within 48 hours of next Wednesday. But sources made clear that it would take “four to six weeks” for the other 27 countries in the EU to reach consensus and start the more formal process.

May’s decision to spell out the starting date came after Jean-Claude Juncker claimed that “Britain’s example will make everyone else realise that it’s not worth leaving”.

And lead negotiator, Michel Barnier, hinted on Twitter that the EU27 were preparing to impose customs controls, despite May’s determination to secure “frictionless trade”.

Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) #Brexit: 4th technical seminar @27 to discuss impact on customs controls & procedures. EU27 have to start preparing now for future controls pic.twitter.com/LJjngCcaDd

The warnings underlined the rocky path that the prime minister will have to tread as she begins one of the most complicated negotiations of political history.

“I am very clear that I want to ensure we get the best possible deal for the United Kingdom that works for everyone across the United Kingdom and all parts of the UK when we enter these negotiation,” said the prime minister in Wales, at the start of a whirlwind UK tour aimed at drumming up last-minute support from the devolved administrations.

“I have set out my objectives. These include getting a good free trade deal. They include putting issues like continuing working together on issues like security at the core of what we are doing. We are going to be out there, negotiating hard, delivering on what the British people voted for.”

The prime minister – who also made clear that there would be no early general election – asked the UK ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, to inform the European council president of the date.

However, EU sources claimed that May’s choice of next Wednesday meant she would miss the chance of a swift start to the negotiations, and instead have to wait up to six weeks for a formal response.

The prime minister’s chosen date shortens an already tight timeframe in which the British government hopes to both agree on the terms of withdrawal, including its financial liabilities, and successfully negotiate a “comprehensive free trade deal” with the EU.

The EU had hoped to offer a substantive political response to Britain at a summit pencilled in for the 6-7 April, but the notification date announced by Downing Street does not now make that possible, EU sources said.

Formal EU-UK negotiations are unlikely to start until mid-May at the very earliest, while some diplomats representing member states in Brussels believe it is more likely that talks will start in earnest in June.

Speaking to the Guardian, Gianni Pittella, the president of the socialist bloc in the European parliament, mocked the British prime minister’s slow progress in triggering talks, and warned that the EU would also be demanding agreement on Britain’s estimated £57bn divorce bill before trade talks could start.

He said: “Congratulations, Theresa May. Nine months to give birth to a date for article 50 notification. We will make sure that Brexit won’t affect EU and UK acquired citizens’ rights.

“Before negotiating the new relationship with UK, first and foremost we want substantial progresses on the withdrawal agreement to be ensured.”

Michel Barnier, who will lead negotiations for the EU, has also said the talks must proceed in that way, with experts lining up to warn that the two-year period will not be long enough for Britain to secure a future trading relationship.

However, a Tory peer who was involved in the drafting of article 50 told the Guardian that it was designed to allow the exit and trade talks to take place simultaneously.

Lord Kirkhope, who was a full member of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drew up the text that led to the Lisbon treaty, said: “As one of those involved in the drafting of article 50, I know that – whatever Michel Barnier says – it does allow for a parallel debate on both the terms of exiting the EU and the deal to be negotiated for after Brexit.”

Nevertheless, the two-year timetable is widely seen as extremely tight if May is to achieve her desire of securing a future deal before March 2019, especially given the need for around six months in which to ratify any deal.

Even with Tusk’s swift action, there will be around “four to six weeks” as EU states agree to the proposed response by consensus, according to a senior source.

Once the EU27 have formally adopted the guidelines, the European commission is expected to quickly present more detailed draft directives and recommend the opening of talks, which will then agreement by qualified majority at a meeting of ministers of the EU27, known as the general affairs council.

A date has yet been set for that ministerial meeting but it is only then that the talks with the UK will be formally opened.

Earlier rumours that the move would be made last week had to be quashed by sources close to the prime minister after Nicola Sturgeon declared her desire for a second Scottish independence referendum, leading to speculation that May had prevaricated because she did not wish to appear cavalier about the future of the union.

However, a Downing Street spokesman said the warning given on Monday morning was merely a matter of courtesy rather than a formal procedure designed to speed up the start of talks. “It’s simply a case of providing advance notice to help people on all sides,” he said. “We have always said we would trigger article 50 by the end of March and we thought it would be helpful to give advance notice.”

The prime minister’s spokesman said Barrow had a conversation with the office of the European council president, Donald Tusk, earlier on Monday to offer the EU notice of the date.

“There will be a letter, [May] will notify President Tusk in writing, and the prime minister has already confirmed she will give a statement to parliament as well,” he said. “More details will be given in due course.

“We want negotiations to start promptly, but it’s obviously right that the 27 have the opportunity to agree their position,” the spokesman said. “We fully expect they will want to do that in advance.

The Brexit secretary, David Davis, called the process “the most important negotiation for this country in a generation”.

“The government is clear in its aims: 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”, he said.









Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) Within 48 hours of the UK triggering Article 50, I will present the draft #Brexit guidelines to the EU27 Member States.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May formally writes a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk requesting for a delay of Brexit until June 30.