British PM May to fire starting gun on Brexit

[webfact]

British PM May to fire starting gun on Brexit

By Guy Faulconbridge and Elizabeth Piper

REUTERS

 

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May attends the Qatar-UK Business and Investment Forum in Birmingham, March 28, 2017. REUTERS/Darren Staples

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May will file formal Brexit divorce papers on Wednesday, pitching the United Kingdom into the unknown and triggering years of uncertain negotiations that will test the endurance of the European Union.

 

Nine months after Britons voted to leave, May will notify EU Council President Donald Tusk in a letter that the UK really is quitting the bloc it joined in 1973.

 

The prime minister, an initial opponent of Brexit who won the top job in the political turmoil that followed the referendum vote, will then have two years to settle the terms of the divorce before it comes into effect in late March 2019.

 

"Now that the decision has been made to leave the EU, it is time to come together," May will tell lawmakers, according to comments supplied by her office.

 

"When I sit around the negotiating table in the months ahead, I will represent every person in the whole United Kingdom – young and old, rich and poor, city, town, country and all the villages and hamlets in between," May will say.

 

On the eve of Brexit, May, 60, has one of the toughest jobs of any recent British prime minister: holding Britain together in the face of renewed Scottish independence demands, while conducting arduous talks with 27 other EU states on finance, trade, security and a host of other complex issues.

 

The outcome of the negotiations will shape the future of Britain's $2.6 trillion economy, the world's fifth biggest, and determine whether London can keep its place as one of the top two global financial centres.

 

For the EU, already reeling from successive crises over debt and refugees, the loss of Britain is the biggest blow yet to 60 years of efforts to forge European unity in the wake of two devastating world wars.

 

Its leaders say they do not want to punish Britain. But with nationalist, anti-EU parties on the rise across the bloc, they cannot afford to give London generous terms that might encourage other member states to follow its example and break away.

 

BREXIT DEAL?

 

May's notice of the UK's intention to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty is due to be hand-delivered to Tusk in Brussels by Tim Barrow, Britain's permanent representative to the EU.

 

May, who on Tuesday signed the Brexit letter and spoke to German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the future talks, will update the British parliament on Wednesday while Tusk is due to give a briefing to reporters.

 

The Brexit letter is expected to seek to set a positive tone for the talks and recap 12 key points which May set out as her goals in a speech on Jan. 17, EU officials said.

 

Within 48 hours of reading the letter, Tusk will send the 27 other states draft negotiating guidelines. He will outline his views in Malta, where from Wednesday he will be attending a congress of centre-right leaders. Ambassadors of the 27 will then meet in Brussels to discuss Tusk's draft.

 

The course of the Brexit talks is uncertain.

 

May has promised to seek the greatest possible access to European markets but said Britain will aim to establish its own free trade deals with countries beyond Europe, and impose limits on immigration from the continent.

 

She has acknowledged that those measures would require withdrawing from the EU 'single market' of 500 million people, founded on the principles of free movement of goods, services, capital and people.

 

Her priorities also include leaving the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and securing "frictionless" trade with the bloc while ending full membership of the customs union that sets external tariffs for goods imported into the bloc.

 

She wants to negotiate Britain's divorce and the future trading relationship with the EU within the two-year period, though EU officials say that will be hard.

 

"It was you, the British, who decided to leave, not us who wanted you to go," said one senior EU diplomat. "The trading relationship is going to be the most difficult bit to solve - I don't see how that will be done in that time frame."

 

A huge number of questions remain, including whether exporters will keep tariff-free access to the single market and whether British-based banks will still be able to serve continental clients, not to mention immigration and the future rights of EU citizens in the UK and Britons living in Europe.

 

Global banks such as Goldman Sachs <GS.N> are considering moving staff out of Britain due to Brexit, and some major companies and banks could use the Article 50 trigger date to update investors on their plans.

 

UNITED KINGDOM?

 

At home, May's United Kingdom - a nuclear power with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council - is divided and faces strains that could lead to its break-up.

 

The results of the Brexit referendum called the country's future into question because England and Wales voted to leave the EU but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.

 

Scottish nationalists have demanded an independence referendum that May has refused, saying the time is not right. In Northern Ireland, rival parties have been unable to end a major political crisis for over two months and Sinn Fein nationalists are demanding a vote on leaving the UK and uniting with the Republic of Ireland.

 

"May's job is just so difficult - keeping the UK together while Brexiting - that I am not sure anyone would want it," said a senior non-EU diplomat who spoke on condition of anonymity.

 

"After Brexit, the future of almost everything is completely unclear and that is extremely worrying for the UK, the EU and the West as a whole."

 

(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Mark Trevelyan and Louise Ireland)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2017-03-29

[mogandave]

End of an era...


Live, love, laugh

[mogandave]

Does Guy seem a little biased or is it just me?


Live, love, laugh

[bannork]

If the Unionists in Northern Ireland still wish  to remain in the EU  as they did in last year's referendum (55.8% remain  44.2% leave),  it will be a lot easier than Scotland's case.

Simply unite with the South, an existing member already.

 

[daveAustin]

Quote

Its leaders say they do not want to punish Britain.

Too right! Where would they be now without it? Everyone would be beholden to Germany, that's what, which is not far from where we are now I guess.

[terryw]

Now that the gloves are off expect the Europeans to cry foul when faced with a determined British Bulldog. 

[daveAustin]

43 minutes ago, bannork said:

If the Unionists in Northern Ireland still wish  to remain in the EU  as they did in last year's referendum (55.8% remain  44.2% leave),  it will be a lot easier than Scotland's case.

Simply unite with the South, an existing member already.

 

Be good to see - despite what May says, Britain doesn't need it or want the expense, but of course (despite what the rest of the world might think and esp Americans) it's not up to London. Ireland would have to foot the bill of course, and how many southerners really want that expense, hassle and joining up with protestants? Also possibility of standard of living going down for NI folk and there's that elephant in the room of loyalists not wanting unity. It would probably kick off again in a big way, plus the British army being drawn back in. I'm still all for Ireland being one as long as it's peaceful and the people are happy.

[Laughing Gravy]

Finally it has been a long day coming. Regardless if you agree with Brexit or not I believe that if you care about your country, you should support it and that means supporting the process for leaving the EU. If you are not happy then you can vote the government out at the next election. The argument for and against Brexit is over. It is happening Hip Hip Hoorah!

Edited March 29, 2017 by Laughing Gravy

[Thongkorn]

Bring on the World. Bye bye Dictatorship.

 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, terryw said:

Now that the gloves are off expect the Europeans to cry foul when faced with a determined British Bulldog. 

I must say part of me is happy the day has finally come.

 

We no longer need to listen to the constant complains of one member country. It's time to move forward.

 

If things go right, the better quality Brits can still be part of the EU, which is beneficial for us.

 

[Stupooey]

It always seemed likely that Ireland as a whole would be the biggest losers from Brexit. Their best hope is that many of the companies and financial institutions whose European headquarters are currently in the UK will choose to relocate to the Republic, hanging London in particular out to dry. Savvy Londoners realised this possibility, which is one reason why they voted to remain.

[Grouse]

4 hours ago, mogandave said:

End of an era...


Live, love, laugh

 

[i claudius]

Its good news week ,yipee

[petermik]

It started as a "free trade" agreement,then it turned into "you must do this" by people with absolutely no interest in the UK whatsoever,at long last the British people have been listened to...........over and out,onwards and upwards

[Laughing Gravy]

Interesting article in the Times if you can access it. Thought this analogy was spot on.

 

"One thing is clear when you look at the ups and downs of our historic relationship with Brussels: billing Article 50 as the start of divorce proceedings misses the point. We were never in a marriage: no passion, no offspring. It was more like a flat-share where we squabbled about the bills, about the pilfering from the fridge and about the uninvited guests sleeping on the sofa."

 

"Last weekend, celebrating the 60th anniversary of the treaty, EU members committed themselves to the European idea — and pointedly excluded Britain. It was an exquisite historic irony. As Britain tried to sign up to the EEC, it repeatedly found itself rebuffed, above all by the French president Charles de Gaulle. The reasons for the Non! were manifold: EEC concern that Britain would turn their community into an elaborate free trade zone, expand its realm to include Commonwealth partners, make English the main language. Chiefly, though, De Gaulle smelled British desperation; it had nowhere else to go and the EEC could play for time."

 

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news/sixty-years-of-continental-drift-c7cklj2hb

[stander]

It's an historic time for the United Kingdom. 

In 1975 a Trade Bloc was established. 

In 1992 that Trade Bloc became a Superstate. 

In 2016 the people of Britain were asked whether they wanted to remain in that Supserstate. 

The people of Britain, in a very British way, said "no, thank you anyway" 

 

 

[Notadoctor]

Triggering the Biggest sacrifice of British sovereignty 

 

"“The letter will represent the biggest sacrifice of British Sovereignty” ....

“What’s now going to happen is that the Europeans will tell us the conditions on which we can trade with our biggest market.  And when that becomes apparent, all the stuff about gaining sovereignty, putting ourselves in charge will be exposed for the hypocrisy it was.” Heseltine.

 

quite apart from the appalling damage to the economy, it will also trigger the dissolution of the United Kingdom.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Notadoctor

[vogie]

2 minutes ago, Notadoctor said:

Triggering the Biggest sacrifice of British sovereignty 

 

Heseltine et al...

 

quite apart from the appalling damage to the economy, it will also trigger the dissolution of the United Kingdom.

Why will it "trigger the dissolution of the United Kingdom"?

[Notadoctor]

4 minutes ago, vogie said:

Why will it "trigger the dissolution of the United Kingdom"?

Seriously?

[vogie]

1 minute ago, Notadoctor said:

Seriously?

Yes, I'm very interested.

[dunroaming]

Benchmark day for the future of the UK.  No time for cheering yet if at all.  Triggered it may be but we still have no idea what the government plans to negotiate let alone whether they can actually achieve it. 

 

There have been lots of soundbites but on their own they do not mean much.  We are in the hands of the EU negotiators now.  We will pitch for what we want and they will decide how much of the "want list" they will agree to.  In the meantime all we can do is cross everything and hope for the best.

[Guest]

For UK,

 

With love, The Europe

[Stupooey]

1 hour ago, oilinki said:

For UK,

 

With love, The Europe

Not sure Europe will be using a can for the watering process.

[Guest]

Alright. Game on.

 

BREAKING: EU's Tusk receives #Brexit notification letter from UK envoy, triggering two-year countdown to British withdrawal from EU

 

 

[krabi local]

Ridiculous that it took 9 months after the British people voted to leave.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

[Stupooey]

38 minutes ago, oilinki said:

Alright. Game on.

 

BREAKING: EU's Tusk receives #Brexit notification letter from UK envoy, triggering two-year countdown to British withdrawal from EU

 

 

Did they shoot the envoy?

Or - as it was Tusk - did he gore the envoy?

[mogandave]

At a sales strategy meeting someone asked our CEO about the long term growth plan for Europe. He joked: "Growth plan for Europe? That's where I stop to fuel the plane."


Live, love, laugh

[brewsterbudgen]

A truly depressing day. [emoji29]

[i claudius]

13 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

A truly depressing day.

 

13 hours ago, brewsterbudgen said:

A truly depressing day.

Your Dead right ,truly depressing , we have to wait 2 whole years to be free of Brussels completely

[Notadoctor]

18 minutes ago, i claudius said:

 

Your Dead right ,truly depressing , we have to wait 2 whole years to be free of Brussels completely

Yeah by which time UK will be Trump's bitch!