Theresa May has ended weeks of speculation and revealed that she will launch formal Brexit talks with EU leaders before the end of March 2017.
The Prime Minister said she will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, sparking the start of a two-year countdown within which time a withdrawal deal with the EU must be agreed.
Speaking to the BBC she said: “As you know, I’ve been saying that we wouldn’t trigger before the end of this year so that we can get some preparation in place.
“But yes, I will be saying in my speech today that we will trigger before the end of March next year.”
She went on: “It’s for the European Union – the remaining members of the EU – to decide what the process of the negotiation is.
“I hope, that I’ll be saying to them, now they know what the timings will be, that we’ll be able to have some preparatory work so that once the trigger comes we have a smoother process of negotiation.”
Brexit Secretary David Davis will also announce the Repeal Bill today, ending the EU's authority and bringing existing EU law into the UK's body of legislation.
