The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Brexit

  • British PM signs Brexit letter

    Prime Minister Theresa May has signed the letter that will formally begin the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.

    Giving official notice under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, it will be delivered to European Council president, Donald Tusk later.

    In a statement in the Commons, the prime minister will then tell MPs this marks “the moment for the country to come together.”

    It follows June’s referendum which resulted in a vote to leave the EU.

    The BBC reports that Mrs. May’s letter will be delivered at 12:20 BST on Wednesday by the British ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow.

    The prime minister, who chaired an hour long cabinet meeting earlier, is set to make a statement to MPs confirming the countdown to the UK’s departure from the EU is under way.

    She will promise to “represent every person in the whole United Kingdom” during the negotiations – including EU nationals, whose status after Brexit has yet to be settled.

    “It is my fierce determination to get the right deal for every single person in this country,” she will say.

    “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.”

  • EU to hold Brexit summit on April 29

    EU to hold Brexit summit on April 29

    The European Union’s 27 leaders will meet on April 29 to agree their negotiating lines for Brexit talks after London sends in a formal notification that it wants to leave the bloc, the chairman of the summit, Donald Tusk, said on Tuesday.

    The meeting is a necessary step before the negotiations between Britain and the 27 remaining EU states can start formally.

    London said on Monday it would send in its exit notification on March 29.

    “In view of what was announced in London yesterday, I’d like to inform you that I will call a European Council on Saturday,  April 29, to adopt the guidelines for the Brexit talks,” Tusk told reporters.

    “You know I personally wish the UK hadn’t chosen to leave the EU, but the majority of British voters decided otherwise.

    Therefore we must do everything we can to make the process of divorce the least painful for the EU.”

    The unprecedented talks are due to run for two years, though many diplomats and officials admit it would probably take longer.

    “Our main priority for the negotiations must be to create as much certainty and clarity as possible for all citizens, companies and member states that will be negatively affected by Brexit, as well as our important partners and friends around the world,” Tusk added.

    NAN recalls that the meeting will be held exactly one month after Britain officially notifies the EU of its intention to leave the bloc.

    The U.K. on Monday announced that it will trigger Article 50 and officially begin divorce talks on March 29.

    The formal triggering will take the form of a letter from  May to Tusk, Downing Street said.

    May’s spokesman declined to give further details of the content of the letter, but senior government officials familiar with the government’s thinking expect it to set out a “positive” vision of the future relationship Britain wants with Brussels after Brexit, including a comprehensive free-trade agreement.

  • British PM to trigger Brexit process next week

    Prime Minister Theresa May is to officially notify the European Union next Wednesday that the United Kingdom is leaving the body.

    Downing Street said she would write a letter to the European Council, adding that it hoped negotiations on the terms of exit and future relations could then begin as quickly as possible.

    The move comes nine months after a referendum in which the UK voted to leave by a margin of 51.9 per cent to 48.1 per cent, the BBC reports.

    An EU spokesman said the body was “ready and waiting” for the letter.

    Under the Article 50 process, talks on the terms of exit and future relations are not allowed until the UK formally tells the EU it is leaving.

    If all goes according to the two year negotiations allowed for in the official timetable, Brexit should happen in March 2019.

    A No 10 spokesman said the UK’s Ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, informed the European Council, headed by President Donald Tusk, earlier on Monday of the date that Article 50 would be triggered.

    Mrs. May is expected to make a statement to the House of Commons on Wednesday shortly after invoking Article 50, setting out her aims.

    A spokesman said the government wants negotiations to start as soon as possible but added that they “fully appreciate it is right that the other 27 EU states have time to agree their position.”

     

  • Brexit: UK won’t disrespect EU treaties – Minister

    Brexit: UK won’t disrespect EU treaties – Minister

    Britain will respect its obligations under European Union treaties while it seeks to strengthen trade ties with world partners, the British finance minister said on Friday.

    Philip Hammond told reporters, arriving to a meeting of EU finance ministers in Brussels that Britain would continue to abide by the treaties of EU.

    British Prime Minister Theresa May will meet later on Friday with U.S. President Donald Trump, seeking to enhance the UK’s trade relations with Washington as it prepares to start its divorce talks with the EU.

    “We will continue to abide by the rules, regulations and the laws of the European Union for so long as we are members,” Hammond said.

    “Of course we want to strengthen our trade ties with the very many trade partners we have around the world.

    “But we are very mindful of our obligations under the treaty and will follow them precisely.”

    He said that Britain “remains a fully engaged member of the European Union.”

  • Court rules UK parliament must vote on Brexit

    Parliament must vote on whether the government can start the Brexit process, the Supreme Court has ruled.

    The judgement means Theresa May cannot begin talks with the European Union until Members of Parliament and peers give their backing – although this is expected to happen in time for the government’s March 31 deadline.

    But the court ruled the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies did not need a say, the BBC reports.

    Brexit Secretary David Davis promised a parliamentary bill “within days.

    During the Supreme Court hearing, campaigners argued that denying the United Kingdom Parliament a vote was undemocratic and a breach of long-standing constitutional principles.

    They said that triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty – getting formal exit negotiations with the EU under way – would mean overturning existing UK law, so MPs and peers should decide.

    But the government argued that, under the Royal Prerogative (powers handed to the government by the Crown), it could make this move without the need to consult Parliament.

    And it said that MPs had voted overwhelmingly to put the issue in the hands of the British people when they backed the calling of last June’s referendum on Brexit.

  • ‘Nissan is only automaker to get Brexit letter’

    ‘Nissan is only automaker to get Brexit letter’

    Nissan is the only automaker to be sent a letter about the United Kingdom’s policies toward the auto industry after the country quits the European Union, Britain’s Industry Minister Nick Hurd said.

    Ministers and officials have spent “quite a bit of time” talking to other automakers about the country’s Brexit plans, listening to their concerns and providing reassurances, Hurd said on Friday in an interview in London.

    Business Secretary Greg Clark revealed in October he would made four key pledges in a letter to Nissan, including that Britain would seek to maintain tariff-free access to the EU during divorce talks that the government aims to start by the end of March.

    “Inevitably they have the same issues and concerns about Brexit,” Hurd said. Asked if a similar letter had been sent to any other automaker, he replied “no,” adding “there’s no special deal with Nissan. In terms of Brexit, it’s the same message for everyone.”

    Manufacturers have expressed concerns that Brexit may lead to costly barriers to the cross-border passage of components and vehicles, including tariffs and bureaucratic hurdles such as customs declarations and certificates of origin to prove where parts come from. On the back of Clark’s reassurances, Nissan decided to expand manufacturing in Sunderland, northern England.

    U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May said Britain intends to withdraw from the EU’s single market and its customs union, while brokering a free-trade agreement that ensures “frictionless” commerce across borders.

    “We want to make sure there’s a free-trade agreement to protect our investment in the country,” Ford Motor Corporaton’s European president, Jim Farley, said in an interview in London, adding: “It’s encouraging for us to see that the government’s approach is zero-tariff. My main message for the company is that we’re really optimistic that the governments can work through and find the right solution for our industry and for our employees.”

    Ford employs 15,000 people in Britain, including engine manufacturing plants at Dagenham, eastern England, and Bridgend in Wales. It no longer assembles cars in Britain. Asked whether Ford had asked for the same guarantees as Nissan, Farley said: “Everyone should be treated similarly in our industry. We don’t think there should be any winners and losers in this. All companies should be created equal.”

  • British PM rejects ‘partial’ EU membership

    The United Kingdom will not retain “partial” membership of the European Union once it leaves, Prime Minister Theresa May will say in her much-anticipated Brexit speech.

    The PM will tell other European countries the UK wants to trade with them “as freely as possible” but will not be “half-in, half-out” of the EU.

    The BBC reports that her speech is expected to include further hints Britain could leave the EU single market.

    Downing Street said she would set out 12 negotiating objectives.

    The government has so far revealed few details about what it wants to secure from the Brexit talks.

    But it has said formal negotiations on the UK’s exit package will be triggered by the end of March.

    The PM’s speech will be closely watched for signals on what the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU could look like, in particular its involvement in the single market and the customs union.

    EU leaders have said the UK cannot “cherry pick” access to the single market while restricting the free movement of people, and Mrs. May has suggested curbing migration will be her top priority.

     

  • UK envoy to EU resigns

    The United Kingdom’s ambassador to the European Union, Sir Ivan Rogers, has resigned.

    Sir Ivan, appointed to the job by former Prime Minister David Cameron in 2013, had been expected to play a key role in Brexit talks expected to start within months, the BBC reports.

    The government said Sir Ivan had quit early so a successor could be in place before negotiations start.

    Last month the BBC reports that he had privately told ministers a UK-EU trade deal might take 10 years to finalise, sparking criticism from some MPs.

    Ministers have said a deal can be done within two years.

    Labour said Sir Ivan’s departure was “deeply worrying” and Prime Minister Theresa May must be prepared to listen to “difficult truths” about the likely complexity of the Brexit process.

  • Brexit trade deal ‘could take 10 years’

    A post-Brexit United Kingdom-European Union trade deal might take 10 years to finalise and still fail, Britain’s ambassador to the EU has privately told the government.

    The BBC reports that Sir Ivan Rogers warned ministers that the European consensus was that a deal might not be done until the early to mid-2020s.

    He also cautioned that an agreement could be rejected ultimately by other EU members’ national parliaments.

    No 10 expressed confidence in reaching a deal to suit the UK and the EU.

    In October, Sir Ivan, who conducted former prime minister David Cameron’s negotiation over the UK’s relationship with the EU, advised ministers that the view of the 27 other countries was that a free trade agreement could take as long as a decade.

    He said that even once concluded, the deal might not survive the process of ratification, which involves every country having to approve the deal in its own parliament.

     

  • UK ‘may begin Brexit early 2017’

    United Kingdom Prime Minister, Theresa May, is likely to trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union early next year, according to a top EU official.

    European Council President, Donald Tusk, said Mrs. May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.

    The BBC says this is the clearest sign yet of when the two-year withdrawal process may start.

    Mrs. May’s office said it would not be launched this year, but did not confirm Mr. Tusk’s account.

    Formal negotiations over the withdrawal cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for leaving the union.

    The timing of the process has so-far been clouded by uncertainty, with no clear signal from Mrs. May’s government on when it would begin.

    There is also confusion over the nature of the UK’s future relationship with the bloc, especially whether it intends to remain a member of the single market.

    Mr. Tusk spoke from the Slovakian capital, Bratislava, where Europe’s 27 other leaders are gathered for an informal summit without the UK.

    Speaking about a meeting with the British PM in London last week, Mr. Tusk said: “Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me.

    “She declared that it’s almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it’s quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January maybe in February next year.”