British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Sunday that she would formally begin the process of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union by the end of March 2017, ending the speculation surrounding the timing of the move.
Ms May confirmed the deadline for triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which sets in place a two-year process of withdrawal, as the first quarter of 2017.
She has also promised a “Great Repeal Bill” in the next Queen’s Speech, which sets parliamentary business for the year.
While the Prime Minister had long hinted that she would start the process early in 2017, many observers had speculated that she would hold off until the French presidential elections, due to conclude in May.
Triggering the process will repeal the act that took the UK into the forefront of the 28-nation trading bloc and remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the UK’s statute book after the British public had voted in favour of Brexit in a June 23 referendum.
“This is about delivering for the British people, and this is not just about leaving the EU, it’s about that essential question of the trust people have in their politicians,” Ms May was quoted as saying.
The people have spoken, we will deliver on that,” May was quoted as saying by BBC.
When pressed, she did not give an exact date beyond saying “by the end of March” for triggering Article 50, but said it set the timetable “for the first quarter of 2017”.
“We’ll be starting the negotiations once we’ve triggered Article 50, but I think it’s important to get the right deal for the British people,” she said.
May said she believed it was important to have a deal in place with the EU, hinting that was preferable to a so-called ‘hard Brexit’ in which the UK leaves the economic bloc without a formal deal in place for a continued trading relationship.
