Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Peter Walker (now) Andrew Sparrow and Jon Henley (earlier)

May 'cannot guarantee immigration will be significantly lower after Brexit' - as it happened

‘No turning back’: Theresa May’s statement on leaving the EU

And that’s it, the end of a very long day of debate prompted by the handover of that letter in Brussels at lunchtime.

The final trio all made their points passionately, albeit with nothing much to surprise anyone who has seen them speak on the issue before. The one slight point of note is Nuttall’s comment that he disagreed with very little May had to say today. Depending on your view, you could see that as either an indication of where the government now stands on Brexit, or an augury of the difficulties for Ukip in staking out its political ground.

That’s it from me and (for the bulk of the day) Andrew and Jon. Many thanks for reading, and for all your comments.

Updated

Tim Farron, Paul Nuttall and Jonathan Bartley are interviewed by Andrew Neil.
Tim Farron, Paul Nuttall and Jonathan Bartley are interviewed by Andrew Neil. Photograph: BBC1

We’re now into a mass and – given the political differences on show – relatively friendly debate involving all three leaders. Farron says the narrow margin of victory means May should pursue a “consensual Brexit” which takes into account the views of the 48%.

Bartley points out that neither May nor Corbyn have mentioned the EU’s environmental safeguards. This is, he argues, the most important issue for future generations.

Updated

We’re now on to a joint interview with the Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, Ukip’s leader, Paul Nuttall, and the co-leader of the Greens Jonathan Bartley.

They don’t have much time each. Farron argues for a Norway-style continued close link with the EU, which will come as no surprise.

Nuttall is asked what he disagreed with in May’s Brexit plan outlined today. “Very little, actually,” he says.

Bartley says he is a “passionate defender” of freedom of movement in the EU, and says May is pushing an “extreme” Brexit.

Updated

And that’s it from Corbyn.

Instant verdict on Corbyn: A much briefer interview, but he set out a view which sounded more coherent than Labour has at some previous times in the Brexit process. No great surprises, but it was interesting to hear Corbyn express a Theresa May-like view on the possible timing of a new Scottish referendum.

Updated

Jeremy Corbyn says a second Scottish referendum should be delayed until after Brexit negotiations

Jeremy Corbyn speaks to Andrew Neil
Jeremy Corbyn speaks to Andrew Neil. Photograph: BBC1

Asked about a second Scottish independence referendum, Corbyn says he does not back independence, but also thinks Westminster should not block the will of the Scottish parliament on this.

But, he adds, there should be “a serious conversation” on when it happens, and it should only happen after the Brexit negotiations.

Updated

Corbyn confirms that Labour would vote in parliament against a Brexit deal if it does not meet the party’s six tests. But he says he does not want the UK to leave without a deal, and insists it would be in everyone’s interests to continue the talks.

Asked if he would back a second referendum on a Brexit deal, Corbyn says: “At the moment, no, I wouldn’t.”

Corbyn is being quizzed on Labour’s six “tests” for a successful Brexit, including that a future trade deal brings the same benefits as single market membership. The Labour leader says this was set on the basis that David Davis, the Brexit secretary, promised it, but accepts that the UK cannot stay in the single market or customs union.

Updated

And that’s it. Jeremy Corbyn is up next.

Instant verdict on May: It’s fair to say we didn’t learn a vast amount that was new – perhaps not a surprise after the prime minister answered questions from 113 MPs during a marathon session in parliament earlier. May is also a regular and keen avoider of questions she does not want to answer. Possibly the main point was her refusal to say immigration would fall by any significant amount after Brexit.

It’s time now for a question on May’s previous support for remain. “Who is the real Theresa May?” Neil asks.

She responds by saying she has to implement the will of the referendum. She adds: “But I did say that the sky would not fall in if we left the European Union, and it didn’t.”

Neil quizzes May about the “Brexit dividend” – most famously the £350m a week for the NHS (sort of) promised by the leave campaign before the referendum. May declines to say what size of a boost there might be, or where it might be spent, saying only that leaving the EU gives Britain full control of what it spends its money on.

Updated

We’re now onto the issue of the UK possibly leaving the EU without a deal. Neil asks May about the section of her Lancaster House Brexit speech about changing the UK’s economic model if that happened – seen as a threat to switch to a low-tax, low-regulation economy.

Asked at least four times what a “new economic model” meant, May avoids any detail each time.

Updated

Asked about the two-year timetable to complete negotiations, May says she is confident the deadline can be met. “Both sides realise it is in our interests to get these arrangements in place,” she says. The prime minister argues that the UK is not approaching the issue as a third country, but as an EU member, which will speed up the process.

Asked about a transitional deal, May says what she calls an “implementation period” might be necessary.

Here is a clip of May talking to Andrew Neil about post-Brexit immigration rules.

Theresa May: UK can make its own immigration rules after Brexit

Updated

Asked about continued membership of various EU agencies such as Europol, May says these will be “part of the package of negotiations”. But, she adds, she wants to keep “the degree of cooperation on these matters we have currently”.

Asked about the reciprocal rights of overseas EU nationals in the UK and those of Britons elsewhere in Europe, May says there “is goodwill there” to make a quick deal. “I think we will be able to address this as one of the early things we talk about in the negotiations,” she says.

Updated

May is now asked about the idea of an exit fee for Brexit, and the mooted figure of up to £50bn.

She again somewhat dodges the question, saying only that Brexit will bring control over such external spending. May says: “Of course we have to look at the rights and obligations we have as a member of the EU.” She declines more than once to specifically rule out the £50bn figure.

Updated

Theresa May says she cannot guarantee immigration will be significantly lower after Brexit

Neil asks if voters can be reassured that immigration post-Brexit will be “significantly lower”.

The prime minister says that after leaving the EU the UK will be able to make its own immigration rules. Neil presses her on whether numbers will change. May does not promise this, saying: “There are so many things in the world which affect the number of people coming to the UK.”

Asked about the government’s pledge to reduce net migration to below 100,000 a year, May says of the current figures: “They are higher than we would want them to be.”

Theresa May says she cannot guarantee immigration will be significantly lower after Brexit.

Updated

The BBC1 programme has started, and Andrew Neil asks Theresa May how the country will be made better by Brexit.

May gives a long answer about optimism and control, adding: “I think people voted for change in the country.”

This is Peter Walker, taking over for a final leg, which will include a BBC1 show from 7pm where Andrew Neil interviews Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn (not together).

In the interim, here is my colleague Lisa O’Carroll’s article 50 day dispatch from Hastings in East Sussex.

Updated

The BBC has released some excerpts from Andrew Neil’s interview with Theresa May, which is being broadcast at 7pm.

May said she was convinced Britain’s new relationship with the EU “can have the same benefits in terms of that free access to trade”. She said:

What we’re both looking for is that comprehensive free trade agreement which gives that ability to trade freely into the European single market.

And for them - and for them to trade with us. It will be a different relationship, but I think it can have the same benefits in terms of that free access to trade.

Asked whether the UK would stay a member of Europol after Brexit, May said:

I think security cooperation in a number of crime and justice matters is important for us.

It’s not just Europol, there are some other things, there are systems about exchanging information about people crossing borders, for example, which I think are valuable: valuable to us, and valuable to the other countries in the EU ... I would like to be able to maintain the degree of cooperation on these matters that we have currently.

That’s all from me for today. And my colleague Jon Henley is wrapping up soon. But Peter Walker will be taking over the blog and covering the May interview in full.

Updated

Sterling was mixed during afternoon trading, as excitement over the official trigger of article 50 waned, the Press Association reports.

The pound, which rose 0.6% against the euro earlier in the day, was only up 0.1% versus the euro at 1.153 by the late afternoon.

The UK currency fell further into the red against the US dollar, down 0.4% to 1.240.

The FTSE 100 ended the day higher by 0.4% to 7,373.72, thanks in part to the weaker pound.

Neil Wilson, a senior market analyst at ETX Capital, said: “The countdown to Brexit has begun but by and large markets shrugged off the triggering of article 50.

“Stocks and the pound took the momentous decision in their stride, largely as expected as Brexit was already priced in.

“We might have expected a touch more volatility as the UK delivered the letter but markets were pretty calm.”

Updated

Stephen Dorrell, the former Conservative health secretary and chair of campaign group the European Movement, has put out a statement saying he refuses to accept Theresa May’s call for people to unite behind Brexit. He said:

Theresa May says that the referendum result means we should all come together and collude in a pretence that Brexit is good for Britain. I profoundly disagree.

Too often I hear an argument which begins ‘the referendum result must be accepted; I regret the outcome, but we have to make the best of it’.

I was a member of the cabinet which lost power to Labour in 1997. On that occasion I had been closely involved in the development of locally managed NHS trusts and other health reforms during the 1990s. My Labour successor, Frank Dobson, made it clear he wanted to reverse those changes. No one expected me to declare that it had all been a terrible mistake. It wasn’t and I didn’t.

And when Labour government changed its mind and confirmed what was in effect the same policy – under a different brand and with more money – I spoke in its support.

Updated

Ukip MEPs have been celebrating in Brussels.

Ukip’s Raymond Finch pours champagne with Scottish Ukip’s David Coburn (centre, purple shirt) at an event in Brussels
Ukip’s Raymond Finch pours champagne with Scottish Ukip’s David Coburn (centre, purple shirt) at an event in Brussels. Photograph: Aurore Belot/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has said Theresa May is taking a “reckless gamble” with Brexit. Responding to the triggering of article 50, she said:

Fully nine months after the EU referendum, the UK government still cannot answer basic questions about what Brexit will mean for businesses, for the economy generally, and for the type of society we live in.

I wish the prime minister well in the negotiations which lie ahead, because a good Brexit deal for the UK is in Scotland’s interests.

But the UK government’s hardline approach to Brexit is a reckless gamble, and it is clear, even at these very early stages, that the final deal is almost certain to be worse economically than the existing arrangements – and potentially much worse.

Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney in the Scottish parliament
The SNP’s Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney in the Scottish parliament today. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Updated

Michel Barnier, the European commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, has tweeted a picture of his negotiating team.

Jonathan Edwards, Plaid Cymru’s Brexit spokesman, has said that Theresa May is pursuing a hard Brexit that will be bad for Wales. He said:

The prime minister said that she would seek a UK-wide agreement before beginning her Brexit negotiations but instead she has acted as if she is the head of a unitary British State, wilfully ignoring the fact that she is the prime minister of a union of four members. The weak and divided Labour opposition has allowed this to happen and the spineless Labour Welsh government continues to neglect its duty to stand up to Westminster for the interests of the people of Wales.

The UK prime minister has set the British State on a course towards a cliff-edge but it doesn’t have to be this way. Plaid Cymru will continue to fight for a more sensible conclusion to the Brexit referendum that puts jobs, wages and people’s quality of life before irresponsible ideological obsessions.”



Rudd rejects claims UK threatening to withdraw security cooperation from EU

Amber Rudd, the home secretary, has been speaking to Sky News. She was supposed to be rebutting claims that the government is threatening to withdraw security cooperation from the EU if it does not get a trade deal, but some of her comments gave the impression that she was talking up the threat. This is from the Sun’s Tom Newton Dunn.

Here are the key points.

  • Rudd rejected claims that the article 50 letter contained a threat that, if there were no trade deal, security cooperation would weaken. She said the two issues were not connected. Adam Boulton, the presenter, disputed this, referring to the letter which says:

If, however, we leave the European Union without an agreement the default position is that we would have to trade on World Trade Organisation terms. In security terms a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened. In this kind of scenario, both the United Kingdom and the European Union would of course cope with the change, but it is not the outcome that either side should seek.

Rudd said trade and security were in “two separate pillars” in EU terms. They were two separate sentences in the letter, she said. Boulton said there were in the same paragraph. Rudd responded:

It is the same paragraph. But it is not in the same sentence.

Pressed on whether this amounted to a threat, Rudd said:

There is no threat. I’m amazed that is even being thrown up ... The conversations I’ve had with fellow interior ministers [show] we need to have an agreement so that the UK can continue to keep the European continent safe and that the European continent can continue to help keep the UK safe. This is not going to be traded. This is something which needs to be negotiated, because there are different elements to it, that are going to have to be replaced and amended to arrive at that. But there is huge amounts of goodwill.

  • She said she thought it was likely that the UK would leave Europol, the EU law enforcement agency. She said this had not been decided, but she said it was likely that the UK would no longer remain a member. But she said Britain would want a “relationship” with Europol “that allows us equal access”. She said the Americans had a relationship with it, although it was not of the same “depth” as the UK’s. Britain wanted an agreement with it that would allow it to continue to contribute, and to continue to take out.
  • She said if the UK left Europol, it would take its information with it. But when she said this, she seemed to be making the point in order to stress how important it was for the UK to have an agreement with it that allowed information-sharing to continue. She said:

If you look at something like Europol, we are the largest contributor to Europol. So if we left Europol, then we would take our information - this is in the legislation - with us. The fact is, the European partners want us to keep our information there because we keep other European countries safe as well.

This isn’t a huge contentious issue. It is challenging. But there is determination on both sides to make sure it is in the best interests of all European citizens to have those sort of arrangements in place.

  • She said she thought Brexit would lead to fewer EU citizens coming to the UK to work.
  • She said European counter-terrorism cooperation would definitely continue after Brexit because the European counter-terrorism group was outside the EU. It was just in crime prevention and data sharing areas where new systems would have to be set up when the UK left, because those were EU responsibilities, she said.
Amber Rudd
Amber Rudd. Photograph: Sky News

Updated

Pushed on the security trade question, Tajani says the EU wants a good agreement with the UK, which will be a friend after Brexit. But he says “close cooperation on defence, police, intelligence, and action against terrorism” should continue whether there is a deal or not.

For parliament this is a priority, he says, but if there is “a negative outcome” on a future trade deal, cooperation against terrorism will still be crucial. “We want to support the UK as the UK has supported France and Germany,” he says.

Verhofstadt agrees: he says security is “far too important to be a bargaining chip”. He “tries to be a gentleman”, he adds in response to a question, so would not even dream of using the word “blackmail”.

He also says an outline general agreement on the future EU-UK relationship should be part of the article 50 talks.

Updated

Anti-Brexit campaigners have marched on the Stormont parliament in Northern Ireland to voice concerns about the future of free border movement, the Press Association reports.

The demonstration included the erection of mock customs checkpoints to highlight fears about a hardening of the Irish border when the UK leaves the EU.

The 300-strong protest came amid a political crisis at Stormont that has left the region without a devolved government as the Brexit process formally commenced.

Protesters chanted “no borders, no barriers, no Brexit” as they made their way up the landmark main avenue to the steps of Parliament Buildings.

While Sinn Féin and the SDLP joined the colourful picket, elsewhere unionists welcomed the triggering of article 50.

The majority of voters in Northern Ireland backed remain – 56% to 44%.

Anti-Brexit campaigners protest outside Stormont in Belfast.
Anti-Brexit campaigners protest outside Stormont in Belfast. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA

Updated

UK accused of trying to 'blackmail' EU using security

Theresa May’s warning that a lack of a deal with the European Union will mean that the UK would be less able to cooperate with the bloc in matters of defence and security has set the two negotiating sides on course for a clash on day one of the two years of talks triggered by her letter.

One senior EU source said that it appeared as if Britain was seeking to “blackmail” the EU into giving it a deal.

A European parliament resolution, leaked to the Guardian, explicitly states that negotiations on the future EU-UK relationship “cannot involve any trade-off between internal and external security including defence cooperation, on the one hand, and the future economic relationship, on the other hand”.

Those comments echoed a speech made by Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, last week in which he said he was not willing to “haggle with the security of our fellow citizens in trade discussions”.

Guy Verhofstadt, the EU parliament’s Brexit representative, says parliament will play a key role in the Brexit process.

The basic principle is citizens first, he says, both in the UK and on the continent: “For us that is an absolute priority and the parliament thinks, in fact, it should be the first subject in the negotiations. They should not be bargaining chips.”

The second point, he says, is that the parliament hopes for fair and constructive negotiations. Parliament will not accept that the UK starts trade negotiations “behind our back” with third countries, he says.

It recognises there is a special threat to Ireland and Northern Ireland, Verhofstadt says: “The Brexit agreement has to fully respect all the aspects of the Good Friday agreement” and will not accept a hard border.

The UK must meet its legal, financial and budgetary commitments, he says.

Sectoral agreements cutting up the single market – destroying it – will not be allowed, Verhofstadt warns, adding that in the parliament’s view, an association agreement based on article 217 of the treaty should be the best solution.

“We will never accept” a trade off between security and trade, he says. The parliament would accept a three-year transition period.

  • Verhofstadt rules out a trade-off between security and trade.

Updated

Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has rejected the UK government’s call for the withdrawal treaty and the new trade deal to be negotiated in parallel, AFP reports.

This not surprising. EU leaders have consistently called for the two items to be negotiated consecutively, withdrawal first, then future trade arrangements.

European parliament responds

Antonio Tajani, the president of the European parliament, and Guy Verhofstadt, its chief Brexit point-man, are speaking now in Brussels.

The parliament is important because it effectively holds a veto over the Brexit deal and has already made plain its determination to influence the process.

Tajani says the union has overcome many challenges but this is the first time a member state has decided to leave. We fully respect the UK’s democratic choice, he says, but this is not a good day for Europe.

Tajani says the parliament’s first priority is to safeguard the interests of the EU’s citizens. An orderly exit is an absolute requirement and a pre-condition for any future EU-UK relationship. “This is not negotiable,” he says.

The UK will have to respect its obligations as a member until the last day of its membership, he says: “Unilateral decisions will be contrary to the treaties, and therefore illegal.”

The UK will not be asked to pay for anything it has not previously agreed to, he promises, but adds: “A no-deal scenario would be a catastrophe for all, but especially for the UK.” Being a member cannot be the same as being a member, he says, but a good partnership should be established with the UK after it has left.

Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader who probably did as much as anyone to bring about the leave vote, has been celebrating.

Nigel Farage wears Union Flag socks as he drinks in a pub in Westminster.
Nigel Farage wears Union Flag socks as he drinks in a pub in Westminster. Photograph: Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP/Getty Images

He says the UK has passed the point of no return.

The Green party says Brexit will not make Britain fairer. It has issued this response to the triggering of article 50, from the Green MEP Molly Scott Cato.

Theresa May’s talk of a fairer society stands in stark contrast to her actions. Charging ahead with an extreme Brexit while dragging the rest of the UK with her is no way to ensure an equal Britain that has a productive relationship with its European neighbours.

May’s blustery optimism about her ambitions for the UK after Brexit cannot mask the incredible challenges we face. She failed to even mention the environment or climate change, despite it being the largest shared threat we face.

The statement repeatedly referenced the potential benefits for our children and grandchildren but the next generation has the most to lose as we hurtle towards an unknown future outside the EU.

During the Commons session Theresa May denied pursuing a very hard Brexit.

Labour MP Christian Matheson said the prime minister was “careering towards the hardest of Brexits, presumably a prisoner of the rightwing ideological Brexiteers on her own benches.”

May responded:

The honourable gentleman is wrong in the premise of his question when he says that the government is going for a hardest of hard Brexit. We are not.

Nick Macpherson, the former Treasury permanent secretary, has joined those criticising Theresa May for suggesting that the UK could withdraw security cooperation from the EU if it does not get a trade deal. (See 2.07pm.) He posted this on Twitter.

In the Commons the Labour Catherine McKinnell asked Theresa May about her apparent pledge in her letter to withdraw security cooperation with the EU in the event of a trade deal which was not acceptable, asking if this meant the prime minister might walk away from an agreement.

May denied this amounted to a threat. She told McKinnell:

I go on to make very clear in the letter that not having arrangements, not having agreements, on these issues would not be in the interests of the UK and European Union, and we should work to ensure that we secure a deal.

In a statement Paul Nuttall, the Ukip leader, said his party would act as “guard dogs of Brexit”. He said:

While negotiations continue we will continue to be the ‘guard dogs of Brexit’, holding the government’s feet to the fire at home and our MEPs will be working to ensure our friends on the continent do not pull any fast ones.

We will provide the political threat to ensure no backsliding takes place and ensure that Brexit does indeed mean Exit.

With our six key tests we have set out a reasonable and clear position by which the government’s negotiations can be held to account.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has reacted to the triggering of article 50, reports Philip Oltermann in Berlin:

My wish is the Great Britain and the European remain close partners. Because for me the United Kingdom is and remains a part of Europe with which we have a lot in common, not least our common values. On the basis of these values, and with the help of fair rules we will strive for a balance of obligations and rights.

Earlier, foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel issued a statement saying that negotiations “certainly won’t be easy” and ill-feeling may be understandable, but cannot be the basis for the future relationship:

The phrase ‘Let’s stay friends!’ may sound hollow, but it is exactly the right one now. Great Britain will remain our neighbour, just like the EU will remain a neighbour to the British. We need each other. We should do everything to make sure that we maintain a good and friendly relationship with London in the future.

Robertson says May will make independence 'inevitable' if she denies Scotland a referendum

In his response to Theresa May’s statement in the Commons, Angus Robertston, the SNP leader at Westminster, said that if she denied Scotland a referendum in its future, she would make independence inevitable. Here is an excerpt from his contribution.

Last year the prime minister promised that she would secure a UK-wide approach, an agreement with the governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The prime minister could have taken the views of the devolved administrations seriously and reached an agreement before triggering article 50 as she promised - but she did not.

The prime minister promised an agreement - today it is clear that there is no agreement. The prime minister has broken her word ...

Yesterday the Scottish parliament voted by 69-59 that people in Scotland should have a choice about their future. Will the prime minister recognise the democratic right of the people to make their own choice after negotiations have concluded?

The prime minister thinks that Brexit will bring unity to the United Kingdom. It will not. On this issue it is not a United Kingdom and the prime minster needs to respect the different nations of the UK.

If the prime minister does not, if she remains intransigent and if she denies Scotland a choice on our future she will make Scottish independence inevitable.

Yvette Cooper, the Labour chair of the Commons home affairs committee, has echoed Tim Farron (see 2.29pm) in criticising Theresa May for suggesting that security cooperation with the EU will suffer if the UK does not get a Brexit deal. She said:

The prime minister is right to say that ‘in security terms a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened’. But that means her willingness to walk away with no deal if she does not get the deal she wants would not only be wrong but dangerous.

She should not be trying to use this as a bargaining chip in the negotiations. This is not a threat to the rest of Europe, it would be a serious act of self-harm. She should rule out now walking away with no security deal as our national security and public safety depend on it.

Updated

Here are verdicts on the triggering of article 50 from a Guardian Comment panel, featuring Yanis Varoufakis, Rachida Dati, Sylvie Goulard, Raül Romeva, and Derk Jan Eppink.

In Brussels, Guardian bureau chief Daniel Boffey reports that the main talking point of the afternoon is Theresa May’s “attempt to use security as a bargaining chip”. Reinforcing a point made earlier by Dan Roberts, Boffey notes:

If you look at the European parliament’s resolution, it explicitly rules out any trade-off in the future relationship that involves security – and that mirrors how the chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, and the European council feel.

Updated

Theresa May has finally finished her statement in the Commons. John Bercow, the Speaker, said she had been on her feet for three hours and 21 minutes (including PMQs). He said 113 backbenchers asked questions during the statement.

Updated

Philip Oltermann in Berlin says one aspect of Theresa May’s letter that will have gone down well in Germany is the absence of the phrase “transitional agreement”:

German officials and politicians are increasingly urging their counterparts in both London and Brussels to avoid the phrase, since it implies there will be a separate formal deal for a “cliff-edge” scenario.

Instead, any arrangement for what happens after the first two years of negotiating should already be contained in the exit agreement. May’s statement at the very least leaves the door open to such an option.

The widely held concern in Berlin, voiced independently by several German lawmakers but not officially stated by the government, is that a separate “transitional agreement” could not only take a long time to negotiate but would probably go beyond the remit of the European council.

“You can’t use article 50 to fix relations between the EU and the UK for the next 10 years,” said one person familiar with discussions in Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, meaning member states would have to get involved individually.

Updated

Several things have been said or reported today that may be unsettling to the most hardline anti-Europeans in the Conservative party.

The Financial Times has reported that the government may allow the European court of justice to continue to play some sort of role after Brexit, perhaps policing a transitional deal. (See 10.33am.) On the Today programme Philip Hammond hinted that the government will not go into the Brexit talks arguing that the UK will owe nothing when it leaves, and he seemed to confirm that the government has given up plans to use today as the cut-off point for EU nationals keeping their rights after Brexit. (See 9.41am.) And Theresa May and Hammond have ditched some of the gung-ho leave rhetoric. They are not pretending that Brexit will lead to some “have cake and eat it” nirvana, and they have backed away from “no deal is better than a bad deal” threat-mongering which impresses MPs who believe David Cameron’s negotiation failed because he was not prepared to walk away. (Remember “plan B”, turning the UK into a low-regulation tax haven if the EU does not offer a good trade deal? There has been no mention of that at all today.)

But in the Commons there is no evidence that any of the hardcore Conservative Brexiteers are worried. Here are some of their comments.

From Owen Paterson, the former environment secretary

Can I thank and congratulate you for resolutely sticking to your promise to the British people to trigger article 50 before the end of March. There will be celebrations all around the country, nowhere more so than in our remote coastal communities where health and wealth of our fishing grounds has been trashed by the Common fisheries policy.

From Sir Bill Cash

Can you reaffirm that at the very heart of this letter lies the democratic decision in the referendum of UK voters, given to them by a sovereign act of parliament by six to one in this House, enabling the British people to regain their birth right to govern themselves, for which people fought and died over generations?

The referendum was then followed by a massive majority of 372 in this House of Commons on the third reading of the withdrawal bill. Trade and co-operation, yes. European government, no.

From Steve Baker

Since the vote the economic news has confounded expectations. Will the prime minister agree with me that the time for project fear is over?

From Jacob Rees-Mogg

Does [May] recall the words of Francis Drake? “There must be a beginning of any great matter, but the continuing unto the end until it be thoroughly finished yields the true glory.” May I wish her good luck and good fortune in her negotiations, until she comes to true glory and is welcomed back to this House as a 21st century Gloriana.

From Peter Bone

Some members on both sides of this House have been working all their political career to extract the United Kingdom from the European super state. Sometimes we were isolated, sometimes we were ignored, and sometimes we were insulted. But thanks to the British people, today we’re leaving the European Union.

A little more on that line from the French president, François Hollande, who is on a visit to Indonesia. Commenting on Britain’s delivery of the article 50 letter triggering Brexit, he told reporters:

I think it will be painful for the British ... [Brexit] will force Europe to move forward – doubtless at different speeds.

In the Commons Theresa May said Britain could cope if it had to leave the EU without a deal. But she stressed that was not what she wanted. She was responding to a question from Crispin Blunt, the Conservative chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee. She said:

We are trying to approach this in a realistic and pragmatic way.

You are absolutely right, of course government will be working across all departments to ensure that we have preparations in place whatever the outcome will be.

But as I made clear in my letter to [Donald] Tusk, that while both the European Union and the UK could cope if there was no agreement, that would not be the ideal situation, it is not what we will be working for and we should be actively working to get the right and proper deal for both sides.

Updated

François Hollande, the French president, says Brexit is going to hurt the British, the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg reports.

Updated

Farron accuses May of issuing 'blatant threat' to EU over security in article 50 letter

Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, has interpreted the article 50 letter (see 2.07pm) as a “blatant threat” to the EU to withdraw security cooperation if the UK does not get a good trade deal. In a statement he said:

It is shameful that Theresa May has threatened to withdraw security co-operation from our closest neighbours and allies. With growing terrorist threats from around the world, it is imperative that we work together with European allies for our mutual security. She is prepared to put the safety of British and European citizens on the line just so she can deliver her hard Brexit.

Security is too important to be used as a bargaining chip and this will backfire in any negotiations, which rather than building up alliances will leave Britain even more isolated.

The Lib Dems point out that the word “security” is mentioned 11 times in the letter, and “trade” just six times.

Farron also criticised what the letter had to say on trade. He said:

Theresa May admits that we will lose influence over the very rules by which British firms exporting to our largest market will have to abide by. So much for taking back control. The Conservative party used to be the party of business, but by going for this reckless hard Brexit she has thrown British business into a state of uncertainty and powerlessness.

The Commons public gallery was packed with people listening to Theresa May’s statement, with many more milling around in parliament’s central lobby. As former cabinet minister Iain Duncan Smith left the lobby, a beaming man approached him and clasped his hand with both of his. “Thank you sir, thanks for Brexit,” he said.

Updated

Theresa May’s call for unity may not be something that will be followed closely by her cabinet. After Philip Hammond said the government knew it could not have its cake and eat it during the negotiations (in comments seen as a dig at Boris Johnson), a Whitehall source hit back.

“We shouldn’t be downbeat today and we can absolutely have the best deal,” they said, adding that the chancellor might “change his mind by next week on cake, anyway.”

Article 50 letter - Summary

Here are the main points from Theresa May’s article 50 letter. It was short, and very light on detail, although taken alongside May’s statement to MPs (see 12.54pm and 1.12pm) and Philip Hammond’s interview (see 9.41am), it does confirm that the government’s Brexit strategy has been recalibrated a little since the Lancaster House speech.

  • May says she wants a “deep and special partnership” with the EU after Brexit. In the letter she uses the phrase seven times.
  • She implies that the UK accepts it will not be able to have the same access to the single market it has now. This is what is meant by the point about accepting that there will be no cherry picking and accepting that there will be “consequences” from Brexit.

The United Kingdom does not seek membership of the single market: we understand and respect your position that the four freedoms of the single market are indivisible and there can be no “cherry picking”. We also understand that there will be consequences for the UK of leaving the EU: we know that we will lose influence over the rules that affect the European economy. We also know that UK companies will, as they trade within the EU, have to align with rules agreed by institutions of which we are no longer a part – just as UK companies do in other overseas markets.

  • She says she wants an early agreement on a transitional period.

In order to avoid any cliff-edge as we move from our current relationship to our future partnership, people and businesses in both the UK and the EU would benefit from implementation periods to adjust in a smooth and orderly way to new arrangements. It would help both sides to minimise unnecessary disruption if we agree this principle early in the process.

  • She says she wants the UK-EU trade deal to be more wide-ranging than any previous trade deal.

We also propose a bold and ambitious free trade agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. This should be of greater scope and ambition than any such agreement before it so that it covers sectors crucial to our linked economies such as financial services and network industries.

  • She hints that refusing to give the UK a deal could lead to the UK offering the EU less support on security issues. This threat is not made explicitly - to many, the prospect of using security as a bargaining chip is deeply unpalatable - but it is implicit in this paragraph, which juxtaposes Brexit with no deal with security cooperation for no obvious reason.

If, however, we leave the European Union without an agreement the default position is that we would have to trade on World Trade Organisation terms. In security terms a failure to reach agreement would mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened. In this kind of scenario, both the United Kingdom and the European Union would of course cope with the change, but it is not the outcome that either side should seek. We must therefore work hard to avoid that outcome.

  • She confirms that the government wants to negotiate its future partnership with the EU (ie, the new trade deal) alongside the exit deal. The EU wants to negotiate these two deals consecutively: exit deal first, then the trade deal.
  • She says she expects Brexit to lead to a “significant increase in the decision-making power of each devolved administration”.
  • She stresses her support for European values.

Perhaps now more than ever, the world needs the liberal, democratic values of Europe. We want to play our part to ensure that Europe remains strong and prosperous and able to lead in the world, projecting its values and defending itself from security threats ...

At a time when the growth of global trade is slowing and there are signs that protectionist instincts are on the rise in many parts of the world, Europe has a responsibility to stand up for free trade in the interest of all our citizens. Likewise, Europe’s security is more fragile today than at any time since the end of the Cold War. Weakening our cooperation for the prosperity and protection of our citizens would be a costly mistake.

  • She insists that the vote to leave the EU was “no rejection of the values we share as fellow Europeans”.

Brexit policy editor Dan Roberts has been filleting the article 50 letter and offers this takeaway from the six-page missive:

Beneath the warm words are a number of veiled threats that point the way to a tempestuous start to the negotiations. As expected, the first is an insistence that Europe talks about future trade with Britain at the same time as the terms of the divorce settlement.

But it is the reasons May gives for the necessity of this that could really cause some spluttering over the espresso. By making repeated links to Britain’s contribution to European security, she appears to be suggesting she would be prepared to withdraw military and intelligence co-operation if she cannot get the trade deal she wants. So much for Nato solidarity.

You can read Dan’s full annotated version of the letter here.

Updated

The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, has expressed concern that Brexit may trigger an increase in English nationalism, reports Steven Morris in Cardiff.

Jones was among senior Labour figures including the Scottish Labour leader, Kezia Dugdale, and former British prime minister Gordon Brown, meeting in the Welsh capital to discuss constitutional reform in a post-Brexit UK. Speaking to an audience at Cardiff University, he said:

My greatest fear is that Brexit will lead to a rise in English nationalism. I have no problem with people expressing their identity. I am proud to be Welsh ... [But] how do you ensure the people of England feel part of this debate? It’s not just about Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. England has a very strong, proud regional identity. That’s the issue that gets forgotten about.

Brown said he believed Brexit would force the country to face up to “the vast structural inequalities in income, wealth and power” between the regions and nations of the UK:

We’ve got to start re-thinking the British constitution in a way that gives more power to the nations and regions of the United Kingdom. That demands we think imaginatively not just about what powers come to the Welsh assembly and Scottish parliament but also what happens within the regions of England.

Dugdale said the United Kingdom was “under a great deal of threat.” She added: “It’s not the union of our four nations that is inherently unfair or unjust, it is the actions of the powerful within it.”

The three are among Labour leaders and grandees who have come together in a “Devolution Taskforce” charged with setting out the party’s vision for the future shape of the UK constitution. Its proposals will form the basis of a Labour-led Constitutional Convention to look at a federal framework of nations and regions.

Updated

The Irish government has responded to the formal triggering of article 50, writes Henry McDonald in Dublin.

Dublin says it has been clear “from the start that the UK’s departure from the union will have significant economic, political and social implications for Ireland” and that it has been working to analyse its main of concern and develop negotiating priorities:

These are to minimise the impact on our trade and the economy; to protect the Northern Ireland peace process, including through maintaining an open border; to continue the Common Travel Area with the UK; and to work for a positive future for the European Union.

The statement says Ireland’s government noted that its concerns, “including in relation to the Good Friday agreement”, had been acknowledged and says a consolidated paper on Ireland’s priorities will be published before the EU summit on 29 April.

Updated

Since you’re here, we have a small favour to ask. More people are reading the Guardian than ever, but far fewer are paying for it. Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organisations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can. So you can see why we need to ask for your help. The Guardian’s independent journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.

If everyone who reads our reporting helps to pay for it, our future would be much more secure. You can give to the Guardian by becoming a monthly supporter or by making a one-off contribution. – Guardian HQ

Jennifer Rankin in Brussels highlights Donald Tusk’s vow that the EU will remain “determined and united” as it embarks on the two-year Brexit divorce.

Making clear his personal regret that British voters had narrowly chosen to leave the bloc, the European council president said Brexit could have a positive aspect because the 27 remaining member states were more united than ever:

I will not pretend that I am happy for today. But paradoxically there is something positive in Brexit. Brexit has made us, the community of 27, more determined and more united than before.

Brexit was about damage control, he said, and minimising the costs for EU citizens, business and member states.

Tusk will chair a summit of 27 EU leaders on 29 April with the aim of agreeing the bloc’s negotiating guidelines – a six- to ten-page statement of political principles to guide the EU through the negotiations that will be circulated on Friday.

He also stressed that EU law would “continue to apply in the UK” until the day it leaves the bloc, possibly a riposte to earlier reported attempts by London - now abandoned - to stop EU citizens moving to the UK in the two years before Brexit.

Updated

This is what Ed Miliband, the former Labour leader, told MPs during May’s statement.

The prime minister is right to say in her statement that this deal, the eventual deal we get, must work for the 48% as well as the 52%, because whether we were remainers or leavers, we will live in the same country together after Brexit.

But can I emphasise to her that national unity must be earned and not just asserted, and it must be shown in deeds and not just in words, and we are a long, long way away from it.

As she reflects on the last eight months, can she say what she thinks she needs to do differently in the next 24 months to achieve that national unity, which frankly eludes us at the moment.

Updated

The pound crept up in value a tiny amount as the announcement was made, my colleague Graeme Wearden reports on his business live blog. But it is still lower than it was 24 hours ago.

Corbyn says May threatening to deliver a Brexit that is 'both reckless and damaging'

Jeremy Corbyn responds to Theresa May’s article 50 statement - video

Responding to Theresa May’s statement, Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would ensure the government was “held to account at every stage of the negotiations”. He told MPs:

The British people made a decision to leave the European Union, and Labour respects that decision.

The next steps along this journey are the most crucial, and if the prime minister is to unite the country, as she says she aims to do, the government needs to listen, consult and represent the whole country, not just hardline Tory ideologues on her own benches.

Britain is going to change as a result of leaving the European Union. The question is how. There are Conservatives who want to use Brexit to turn this country into a low-wage tax haven.”

The direction the prime minister is threatening to take this country is both reckless and damaging. And Labour will not give this government a free hand to use Brexit to attack rights, protections, and cut services, or create a tax-dodgers’ paradise.

The prime minister says that no deal is better than a bad deal, but the reality is, no deal is a bad deal.

  • Corbyn says May is threatening to deliver a Brexit that is “both reckless and damaging”.

Updated

European council's initial response to article 50 letter

Here is the full text of the European council’s initial response to the article 50 letter.

And here is an excerpt.

We regret that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, but we are ready for the process that we now will have to follow.

For the European Union, the first step will now be the adoption of guidelines for the negotiations by the European council. These guidelines will set out the overall positions and principles in light of which the union, represented by the European commission, will negotiate with the United Kingdom.

In these negotiations the union will act as one and preserve its interests. Our first priority will be to minimise the uncertainty caused by the decision of the United Kingdom for our citizens, businesses and member states. Therefore, we will start by focusing on all key arrangements for an orderly withdrawal.

We will approach these talks constructively and strive to find an agreement. In the future, we hope to have the United Kingdom as a close partner.

Updated

Donald Tusk gives his reaction to the article 50 letter

Donald Tusk is now speaking.

He says he has received a six-page letter to start the negotiations on Britain leaving the EU. There is no reason to pretend this is a happy day in Brussels or in London, he says. Most Europeans, including almost half of all British voters, wish to stay together and not drift apart.

Tusk says he cannot say he is happy today, but there is “something positive about Brexit – Brexit has made us more determined and more united than before”. He says the bloc will also remain determined and united in the future, “during the difficult negotiations ahead”.

He says he has a “strong mandate to protect the interests of the 27”. In essence, this is about damage control, he says: “There is nothing to win … Our goal is clear – to minimise the cost for EU citizens, businesses and member states.”

For the time being, he concludes, nothing has changed: until the UK leaves, EU law will continue to apply, including in the UK.

Tusk concludes by saying an official statement from the EU council will soon be released, and he will share negotiating guidelines with the capitals on Friday.

“What can I add?” he asks. ““We already miss you.”

‘We already miss you’: Donald Tusk’s message to Britain – video

Updated

Full text of the article 50 letter

Here is the full text of the letter.

Article 50 letter

The letter is out.

Here is the first page.

Article 50 letter.
Article 50 letter. Photograph: No 10

Donald Tusk is expected to give his reaction to Britain’s triggering of article 50 shortly, reports Jennifer Rankin in Brussels.

The European council president confirmed he had received Britain’s letter announcing its intention to quit the EU in a tweet: “After nine months, the UK has delivered.”

Sir Tim Barrow, the UK’s ambassador to the EU, delivered the letter in a short meeting this lunchtime. The letter was brought to Brussels by a British official accompanied by a security guard on the Eurostar on Tuesday.

May's statement - Snap verdict

May’s statement is over. For detail, we are going to have to wait until we see the text of the letter. But the tone of her statement was quite striking; it was probably the most pro-European speech she has given as prime minister, and at times it sounded like the speech of a PM who was proposing joining. As Philip Hammond signalled in his Today interview this morning (see 9.41am), the government does seem to be trying to reset Brexit expectations.

Updated

May says in the months ahead she will represent every person in the U K, including EU nationals.

And it is her fierce determination to get the right deal for everyone.

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.

And yes, those EU nationals who have made this country their home. It is my fierce determination to get the right deal for every single person in this country.

For, as we face the opportunities ahead of us on this momentous journey, our shared values, interests and ambitions can – and must – bring us together.

We all want to see a Britain that is stronger than it is today. We all want a country that is fairer so that everyone has the chance to succeed.

We all want a nation that is safe and secure for our children and grandchildren.

We all want to live in a truly global Britain that gets out and builds relationships with old friends and new allies around the world.

These are the ambitions of this government’s plan for Britain. Ambitions that unite us, so that we are no longer defined by the vote we cast, but by our determination to make a success of the result.

We are one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future.

And, now that the decision has been made to leave the EU, it is time to come together.

Updated

May says she wants to continue to trade with the EU.

In an increasingly unstable world, we must have “the closest possible security cooperation to keep our people safe”.

She says she wants to deliver a smooth and orderly Brexit.

Then there will be a phased process of implementation.

There will be “consequences” to leaving, she says.

She says it is in the interests of both the UK and the EU that there is as little disruption as possible.

When protectionist instincts are on the rise, Europe has a responsibility to stand up for free trade.

Failing to stand up for European values would be a costly mistake.

May confirms that UK will not try to 'cherry pick' in Brexit talks.

She confirms that the rights of EU nationals will be an early priority.

She says she wants to not just protect the rights of workers, but build on them.

She says EU leaders have said we cannot cherry pick, and stay in the single market without accepting free movement.

We respect that, she says.

  • May confirms that UK will not try to “cherry pick” in Brexit talks.

May says leaving the EU means laws will be made in the UK.

She says she will negotiate as one UK, taking account the interests of all regions.

She will consider which repatriated powers to devolve, and which to keep at London. But no powers will be taken away from the devolved administrations. And she expects to see them get a significant increase in their powers.

UPDATE: I’ve corrected this. May said “no powers will be taken away from the devolved administrations”, not “now powers will be taken away from the devolved administrations”, as the post originally said. A stray w crept in by mistake.

Updated

May says she wants 'new, special and deep partnership with EU'

May says she wants the UK to be a country that reaches beyond the borders of Europe.

She has set out a clear and ambitious plan, she says.

She wants a “new, special and deep partnership with the European Union”.

  • May says she wants a “new, special and deep partnership with the European Union”.

May says:

Perhaps now more than ever the world needs the liberal, democratic values of Europe - values that the UK shares.

This prompts so much jeering that she has to stop (presumably from opposition MPs wondering how she square this with Brexit, and her support for President Trump.)

  • May says world need “the liberal, democratic values of Europe” more than ever.

May says leaving the EU presents the UK with a unique opportunity.

It is this generation’s chance to build a better future.

She wants the UK to emerge “stronger, fairer, more outward-looking than ever before”.

She wants us to be a magnet for talent, and a truly global Britain.

Theresa May's statement on triggering article 50

Theresa May is making her statement.

She says a few minutes ago Sir Tim Barrow handed over the letter.

The article 50 process is under way.

In accordance with the wishes of the people, the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union. This is a historic moment from which there can be no turning back.

  • May confirms article 50 has been triggered.
  • She says there can be “no turning back”.

And here is Sir Tim Barrow handing over the letter:

PMQs - Snap verdict

Who cares, is probably the honest answer, because the article 50 announcement coming soon is the only thing that really matters, but Corbyn was quietly effective today. And he may well decide to split his questions again in the future, because that worked quite well. He asked three questions on police funding, paused (which kept the tempo down), and then came back on education funding, citing a public accounts committee report that May clearly found embarrassing. On both issues May had to resort to rather narrow definitions of “protecting” spending (she was talking about flat cash terms, not real terms, I think), but May rallied in her final answer with an effective outburst about Labour’s spending bias.

If May was doing repeats, so was Angus Robertson. The Daily Telegraph article quoting Theresa May as saying she wanted a UK approach to Brexit must be setting a record for the number of times a cutting has been raised in the Commons, but it makes May squirm every time, and so Robertson lack of originality was understandable. His second question, about all EU parliaments voting on the Brexit deal but Scotland not getting a vote, also sounded familiar. It is an effective argument too, but if felt like one for another day.

Updated

Here is Donald Tusk’s tweet confirming Britain has delivered the letter triggering article 50 and beginning the process of leaving the European Union:

Updated

Donald Tusk receives UK's article 50 letter

Corbyn says parents are being asked to contribute to their schools. He quotes from one. He says if May is right then a whole range of organisations, including the public accounts committee with eight Tory members, is wrong.

May says the government said it would protect budgets and it has. But it is also the quality of education that counts.

Corbyn asks questions demanding more spending, she says. She lists a series of PMQs dates and says at every one Corbyn called for “more spending”. Labour cannot help themselves. They want to spend money they don’t have, and leave the bills for the next generation.

Updated

Jeremy Corbyn says May did not protect police budgets as home secretary. Last week May said four times she had protected school budgets. Does she stand by that.

May says she has protected school budgets.

Corbyn says today the public accounts committee is saying schools budgets are being cut. Is the public accounts committee wrong.

May says an extra £230m is going into schools. She says the government is committed to ensuring all pupils get a good place.

Angus Robertson, the SNP leader at Westminster, also offers his condolences to the attack victims.

Last year May promised she would secure a UK-wide approach and agreement to Brexit. There is no agreement. Why has May broken her promise?

May says she has been clear throughout that she would work with the devolved administrations, that she would develop a UK approach, but that the UK government would take the lead. Scotland is part of the UK.

Robertson says May did not deny saying she would seek a UK-wide approach and agreement to Brexit. The SNP government got a higher share of the vote than the UK government. The Scottish parliament voted for a referendum. The UK parliament, the European parliament, and 27 other EU countries will get a choice. Will Scotland get one too?

May says she is taking forward the views of the UK. The SNP only want to talk about independence. Now is not the time to be talking about this, she says.

Updated

Corbyn is breaking up his questions, using a 3-3 format, I presume. A Tory MP is asking a question now.

Corbyn says a Police Federation service found 55% of officers said their morale was low because of underfunding. Police numbers have been cut. Will May think again about cuts to policing?

May says the government has protected police budgets. But what has happened since 2010. Crimes traditionally measured by the crime survey have fallen.

(She phrases it like this because internet-related crime has gone up.)

Both sides are apparently agreed that once the article 50 talks start, the top priority must be the rights of EU citizens in the UK and British citizens on the continent.

Sam Jones in Madrid reports that the Spanish government has just announced the opening of a one-stop Brexit shop at its London embassy to help the estimated 300,000 Spaniards living in the UK to navigate the process.

“The aim is to answer the queries Spanish citizens may have when it comes to the consequences that the UK’s departure from the EU might have for their personal circumstances or those of their relatives,” it said.

Among the different topics the counter will offer advice on are: permanent residence; healthcare; private health cover; pensions and other social provisions; educational issues, and tax implications.

Jeremy Corbyn starts by paying tribute to the emergency services who responded to the attack last Wednesday, and to the New Ferry explosion. Will the police get all the resources they need?

May also praises the work of the emergency services. She has been in touch with the police and the security services investigating the attack. They have the resources they need.

Corbyn says there are some problems. Between 2015 and 2018 there will be a real terms cut in police funding of £330m.

May says the police budget has been protected. Andy Burnham, at the Labour conference in 2015, said savings could be found. The government did not take that view. It protected the budget, she says.

The Ulster Unionist party’s Danny Kinahan congratulates May on triggering article 50. Will May confirm that, in the extremely improbable event of an Irish border poll taking place, the government will back remain?

May says today she is giving effect to the decision to leave the EU.

She says she is fully committed to ensuring the rights of the Northern Ireland. She says the government’s view is that it is up to Northern Ireland to decide its future. But the Conservatives made clear in their manifesto they want Northern Ireland to stay part of the UK.

Updated

Theresa May starts by updating MPs on last week’s terrorist attack. She names the victims and offers her condolences. Two people remain in custody, she says.

PMQs

PMQs start very soon.

Theresa May has just arrived in the Commons chamber, to loud cheers from her MPs.

Updated

The European commission’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, is currently in Valletta for a meeting with Joseph Muscat, the prime minister of Malta, which holds the rotating six-month EU presidency.

The EU 27 are “on the same page” on the upcoming Brexit talks, Barnier said, adding that B-Day – as today is known in EU circles – is the first day of a “very long and difficult road”:

Updated

Emmanuel Macron, the favourite for the French presidency, said today he would not punish the UK for backing Brexit if he won power. At a meeting with the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, Macron said:

The question is not to punish the UK for a vote made by British people.

My priority will be to protect the European Union, the interests of the European Union, and the interests of European citizens.

And my deep wish is to have Great Britain with the European Union in another relationship.

I think especially on defence matters it’s important to work together.

Emmanuel Macron (right) with Sadiq Khan speak at Macron’s campaign HQ in Paris.
Emmanuel Macron (right) with Sadiq Khan at Macron’s campaign HQ in Paris. Photograph: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

For those eagerly awaiting the precise moment that Sir Tim Barrow, Britain’s ambassador to the EU, will formally hand over the article 50 letter, it looks like it will be at around 1.20pm Brussels time (12.20pm in London), ten minutes earlier than had been expected.

That’s according to European council president Donald Tusk, at any rate:

This is from my colleague Patrick Wintour, the Guardian’s diplomatic editor.

The Philip Hammond interview this morning (see 9.41am) suggests the government is trying to reset expectations.

YouGov’s Anthony Wells has published a lengthy blog summarising the latest polling on Brexit.

And here are some of the key findings.

(That’s awkward. This morning Philip Hammond ruled that out. See 9.41am.)

The Guardian’s Madrid correspondent, Sam Jones, highlights an online reader poll by the Spanish newspaper El País showing that two thirds of respondents are sad to see the UK depart the EU and would like it to have stayed, while a third are glad.

And not everyone in Europe thinks Britain is on a losing wicket, reports Helena Smith. “Great Britain will, according to economists, lose about 2 percent of its GDP over the next five years,” said Giorgos Kyrtsos, a Greek MEP on the Economic and monetary affairs committee.

“But things may be more difficult for the EU. After Brexit, the EU is undergoing a period of existential crisis. Instead of emphasising unity among the 27, it has brought out the differences of approach and the difficulties in further integration.”

Updated

And here is how the Guardian reported Britain joining what was then the EEC on 1 January 1973.

Günther Oettinger, the influential German EU budget commissioner, has described Britain’s article 50 letter as “a negative message for Europe as a whole, and for the UK especially”. Oettinger, an ally of chancellor Angela Merkel, said he expects “many difficult negotiations in the next weeks and months”.

Updated

And this is how the national newspapers in the UK are reporting the news that Theresa May is triggering article 50. Here are the main front pages.

Boris Johnson is unlikely to be in the limelight on a day that Downing Street is determined will belong to Theresa May.

But the foreign secretary will be meeting his Italian counterpart in London, where sources say he will run through the letter and set out the government’s approach to negotiations.

This will be followed by similar conversations over the phone to counterparts in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland, Lithuania, as well as with the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, and others in Canada, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.

Boris Johnson arriving for cabinet this morning.
Boris Johnson arriving for cabinet this morning. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth)/AP

Updated

The European press are marking the triggering of article 50 in some style. Here’s the cover of today’s Libération, in France: “We’re missing you already.”

And here is Germany’s Die Welt: “For the United Kingdom, a journey into the unknown.”

Updated

European parliament sets out tough conditions for Brexit talks

My colleague Daniel Boffey has filed a story based on a leaked copy of a European parliament resolution setting out its stance on the Brexit negotiations.

Here is how it starts.

Britain will not be given a free trade deal by the EU in the next two years, and a transition arrangement to cushion the UK’s exit after 2019 can last no longer than three years, a European parliament resolution has vowed, in the first official response by the EU institutions to the triggering of article 50 by Theresa May.

And here is Daniel’s summary of the key points.

The chamber’s general principles for the coming talks include that:

  • a future relationship agreement between the European union and the UK “can only be concluded once the United Kingdom has withdrawn from the EU”.
  • there may be a transitional deal for after 2019 to ensure that custom controls and barriers on trade are not enforced on day one of Brexit, but that these arrangements should not exceed three years and will be “limited in scope as they can never be a substitute for union membership”.
  • the European court of justice will be responsible for settling any legal challenges during the transition period.
  • the UK will be able to revoke its notification of article 50 but this must be “subject to conditions set by all EU-27 so they cannot be used as a procedural device or abused in an attempt to improve the actual terms of the United Kingdom’s membership”.
  • should Britain seek to negotiate any free trade deals with other countries while it is still an EU member state, there will be no future discussion of a deal with the union.
  • there will be no special deal for the City of London “providing UK-based undertakings preferential access to the single market and, or the customs union”.
  • the cut-off date after which EU nationals coming to the UK lose the automatic right to residency in the UK must not be before 29 March 2019, when the country leaves the EU, or the British government will be breaking EU law.
  • Britain should pay all its liabilities “arising from outstanding commitments as well as make provision for off-balance sheet items, contingent liabilities and other financial costs that arise directly as a result of its withdrawal”.
  • the outcome of the negotiations on the future EU-UK relationship “cannot involve any trade-off between internal and external security including defence cooperation, on the one hand, and the future economic relationship, on the other hand”.

Today’s Financial Times splash (subscription), by George Parker and Alex Barker, says that there are new signs that the government is “willing to compromise” over Brexit. Here is an extract.

Although Mrs May will make clear she is willing to walk away without a deal, behind the scenes British officials have signalled a willingness to soften rigid positions in areas such as the role of the European court of justice and paying the so-called “exit bill”, as well as a readiness to strengthen security ties …

In another concession, Downing Street said this week that Mrs May would not use the article 50 notification to announce the immediate cessation of full citizens’ rights for new EU arrivals in Britain. The European parliament insists full rights must apply until Brexit is complete.

There are also signs that Mrs May’s promise “to end the jurisdiction of the European court of justice in Britain” is being recalibrated to provide room for manoeuvre in one of the most contentious areas of the negotiation.

The Brexit department said that this meant “bringing to an end the direct jurisdiction” of the court in the UK, raising the possibility that the ECJ might have some non-binding or partial role in settling trade disputes and in policing a transitional deal.

Updated

Here is another of the handout pictures released last night of Theresa May signing the article 50 letter.

Theresa May signing the article 50 letter.
Theresa May signing the article 50 letter. Photograph: Jay Allen/ No 10 / MOD /Handout/EPA

Updated

Here’s a Guardian panel on what article 50 means for young people.

My colleague Jon Henley, the Guardian’s European affairs correspondent, is writing the blog with me today.

Updated

My colleague Jennifer Rankin is in Brussels following Sir Tim Barrow, the UK ambassador to the EU, who will deliver the article 50 letter later.

Updated

Philip Hammond's interview - Summary and analysis

In a statement about the triggering of article 50 released last night Theresa May said that now it was “time to come together”. She said that as the negotiation started, she would seek to 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”.

The fact that Downing Street chose to put up Philip Hammond for their main interview this morning, ahead of May’s statement at lunchtime, is indicative of her desire to adopt a consensual approach, or at least to show that she is accommodating the concerns of remainers. Hammond is the most pro-remain member of the cabinet. On Brexit, his position is hard to distinguish from the official Labour policy as set out by its Brexit spokesman, Sir Keir Starmer.

But it was not just that Hammond was there, it was what he said. For the past nine months most of what the government has said and done on Brexit has been warmly welcomed by hardcore Tory leave campaigners and has alarmed those holding out for a “softer” Brexit. This morning, on several issues, Hammond distanced himself from the hardcore leave agenda. That suggests that perhaps the government’s Brexit strategy might not be quite as confrontational as had been thought.

Here are the key points.

  • Hammond said the government accepted it could not “cherry pick” in the Brexit talks and that leaving would have “consequences”. In a reference to the phrase associated with Boris Johnson, and his leave philosophy, Hammond said the UK could not have its cake and eat it.

We accept that because of our requirements, because of the requirements that the British people specified in the referendum result, we will not be members of the European single market, we will not be full members of the European customs union. And not being members of those entities has some consequences. It carries some significance. And the European Union understands that.

And I think the fact that we have set that out very clearly has sent a clear signal to our European partners that we understand that we can’t cherry pick, that we can’t have our cake and eat it, that by deciding to leave the European Union and negotiate a future relationship with the EU as an independent nation, there will be certain consequences of that. And we accept those.

In policy terms this does not amount to anything new. May said in her Lancaster House speech that the UK would leave the single market and not remain a full member of the customs union.

But, in terms of expectation management, this is a subtle but important shift. Throughout the referendum campaign Vote Leave repeatedly claimed that the UK would be able to leave the EU but continue to trade with Europe on terms just as good as the current ones (“having one’s cake and eating it”, in Johnson’s terminology). Since the referendum Brexiter cabinet ministers have continued to make this claim, often with reference to German BMW manufacturers and Italian prosecco exports. By talking about “consequences”, Hammond was trying to reframe the debate with a dose of realism.

They have expressed some very important views and they have provided some analysis that will certainly inform the discussion that we are going to have. It won’t surprise you that our negotiating partners on the other side will have a different view and we will, as part of the negotiating process, the principles that will determine how we settle the rights and the obligations that we as a departing member have. And we will go about that in a businesslike way.

But I shall be very clear that we simply do not recognise some of the very large numbers about that have been bandied about in Brussels.

This figure was just a “very aggressive” staring point for the negotiation, he claimed.

This is, after all, a negotiation, and it is not at all surprising to me that our negotiating partners are setting out a very aggressive starting line for the discussion.

  • He said the article 50 letter would contain new information about the government’s negotiating plans.

Of course it [the letter] will go further in expressing how we want to take the negotiation forward and how we see this negotiation developing.

  • He said “the overwhelming majority” of EU countries wanted a “constructive” approach to the Brexit talks.

As we go into this process today, I believe that the overwhelming majority of our counterparts across the European Union are approaching this on the basis that they want a sensible discussion, a constructive discussion, about a pragmatic future relationship with the United Kingdom, a relationship that will strengthen the UK and will strengthen the European Union as well. And I’m optimistic we can achieve that.

  • He rejected claims he had been marginalised in government.

I have not felt rather marginalised in recent weeks.

He said the decision to reverse the national insurance contributions rise in the budget was jointly taken by him and the prime minister. And he said he had seen the article 50 letter.

Philip Hammond arriving at Number 10 for a cabinet meeting this morning.
Philip Hammond arriving at Number 10 for a cabinet meeting this morning. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

Updated

Here is some Twitter comment on Philip Hammond’s interview.

From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg

From the Daily Mirror’s Jack Blanchard

From the Sunday Times’ Tim Shipman

From the Times’ Ann Treneman

Nick Robinson has just announced that Andrew Neil will be interviewing Theresa May on the BBC at 7pm tonight.

Q: Have you seen the article 50 letter?

Of course, says Hammond.

Q: Some people think you have been marginalised.

Hammond says he has not felt marginalised.

Theresa May will set out to parliament what the letter says.

Q: It is said May ordered you to drop your budget plan to increase national insurance contributions for the self-employed.

Hammond says he has addressed this before. After the budget there was a view this broke an election promise. He and May decided to shelve those plans.

Q: Are there any surprises in the article 50 letter?

Hammond says May set our her objectives in the January Lancaster House speech. The letter builds on it. It will go further in expressing how we want to take the negotiation forward.

And that’s it. The interview is over.

I’ll post a summary soon.

Q: A Lords committee says the UK can leave without paying anything. Why are they wrong?

Hammond says that is an important report. But our EU partners take a different view. He says this will be a subject for negotiation. But he does not recognise some of the very large numbers that have been bandied about in Brussels.

Q: Has the government conceded that EU nationals can come here after today with full rights?

Hammond says of course they can come after today.

Q: But will they get full rights. There was talk of today being the cut off, after which EU nationals would not get full rights.

Hammond says we remain a full member of the EU for the moment.

He says the government wants to negotiate a deal on EU nationals.

Q: The EU will have to be able to show that the UK will be worse off out than in.

Hammond says this is a negotiation. There will be give and take on both sides. We will not be a member of the single market, or a full member of the customs union. The fact that we have set that out tells our EU partners that “we understand that we cannot cherry pick, that we cannot have our cake and eat it”.

Q: You wanted to stay in the customs union. Do you still want that?

Hammond says being in the CU would mean consequences we could not accept. But he says he is confident that the UK can get a solution that involves frictionless borders.

Q: Was Boris Johnson speaking for the government when he said it would be perfectly okay to leave with no deal?

Hammond says the government has prepared for different outcomes.

Q: But should the markets understand you to think that would be okay?

Hammond says the government wants a deal. He is confident the government will get one.

Theresa May needs “the maximum flexibility, the maximum negotiating muscle”, he says.

Q: What would the consequences of no deal be? Lines of lorries queuing up at Dover, as Michel Barnier, the European commission’s Brexit negotiator, predicted?

Hammond says this would not be in the interests of anyone in Europe.

Philip Hammond's Today interview

The Today programme is playing the Philip Hammond interview now. It was recorded a little earlier, because Hammond is now is a cabinet meeting.

Q: Are you excited or nervous?

Hammond says this is an exciting time. It is a time to put divisions behind us.

Q: Gus O’Donnell said on the programme this is like jumping out of a plane with a parachute designed by the EU. It’s a leap in the dark.

Hammond says he does not accept that. There was a lot of anger after the June vote. But now people are starting to think rationally. “The overwhelming majority of our counterparts in the EU” want a sensible, pragmatic discussion.

Almost half a century of history is about to be consigned to the dustbin as Theresa May formally triggers article 50, starting the purportedly irreversible process of taking the UK out of the EU within two years. As epochal landmarks go, this is probably not quite as important as the referendum vote on 23 June last year, or the day we finally leave, but it is definitely one for the history books.

We knew it was coming, of course, and today will primarily be a day of reflection for what this all means. But May will be publishing her article 50 letter, which is being delivered to Donald Tusk, the European council president, and it will provide fresh clues as to the government’s negotiating strategy.

She will also make a statement to MPs, and from what they say we may pick up hints as to what her party will and will not accept.

Here is the Guardian’s overnight story.

And here is the timetable for the day.

12pm: Theresa May faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs.

12.30pm: May makes her statement to MPs about article 50. Her letter will be released at about the same time.

Philip Hammond, the chancellor, is about to be interviewed on the Today programme. I will be covering that in detail.

You can read all today’s Guardian politics stories here.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

I try to monitor the comments BTL but normally I find it impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer direct questions, although sometimes I miss them or don’t have time. Alternatively you could post a question to me on Twitter.

Updated

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Selena Gomez’s husband Benny Blanco goes viral after showing off 'filthy feet' in podcast debut
The music producer also raised eyebrows by deliberately breaking wind on camera
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Hilary Duff hits back at criticism over explicit lyrics in new song Roommates
Hilary Duff didn't expect people to get so wound up by her X-rated lyrics.
BANG Premier
BANG Premier
The ‘vegan but bacon’ principle is here. Could it help us achieve our goals?
Social media’s latest trend is a reminder that perfectionism isn’t always the best way forward. If we want to make change, maybe we need to give ourselves a bit of a break, writes Polly Hudson
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Black holes! Supernovas! Merging galaxies! Oh my! Largest radio survey of the cosmos ever reveals 13.7 million powerful cosmic objects and events
Astronomers have used the LOFAR telescope array to create the largest radio survey of the cosmos, revealing 13.7 million cosmic scenes, including supermassive black holes, merging galaxies, and supernova explosions.
Space
Space
Metallica announces eight-show residency at Las Vegas Sphere
‘Surprise! The world’s worst-kept secret is now official,’ the heavy metal band announced
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Who Is Nikocado Avocado? Inside the Stephanie Soo Rift, Extreme Weight Transformation and Controversies Rocking the Internet Again
Explore the latest controversies surrounding Nikocado Avocado, including his dramatic weight loss, identity revelations, and resurfaced feuds.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play