Plan B Forum

Theresa May has signed the letter that will formally begin the UK'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 on Wednesday.

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.

Mrs May's letter will be delivered to Mr Tusk at 12:30 BST on Wednesday by the British ambassador to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow.

The prime minister, who will chair a cabinet meeting in the morning, will then 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."

Scottish independence: why a second vote is back on the table

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon presses for a new referendum – but could it really happen?


Severin Carrell Scotland editor

Monday 13 March 2017 06.54 EDT
Last modified on Monday 13 March 2017 18.48 EDT

Nicola Sturgeon’s speech at Bute House on Monday in effect challenged Theresa May to give Scotland, which voted in favour of remaining in the EU by 62% to 38%, special access to the single market and substantial new powers or face a second Scottish independence referendum.
Why is the first minister doing this?

Sturgeon argued that last year’s Scottish National party election manifesto gives her a mandate to press for a new independence vote if “a significant or material change” in Scotland’s constitutional position occurred, such as the rest of the UK voting to leave the EU while Scotland voted to stay.
Nicola Sturgeon expected to set out plan for Scottish independence vote
Read more

She spoke at the first minister’s official residence in Edinburgh rather than this weekend’s SNP spring conference in Aberdeen because she needs to appeal to pro-EU Labour, Liberal Democrat and Conservative voters, who could prefer independence in Europe to Brexit, to ensure she can win a referendum.

Sturgeon believes the imminent decision by May’s government in London to invoke article 50 gives her a strong opportunity to set the political agenda in Scotland.
What do the polls show?

The latest opinion polls have mixed messages for Sturgeon. They show a recent rise in support for independence from 45% up to 49%, excluding don’t knows. In statistical terms, no and yes are effectively neck and neck.


Latest polls put support for independence at 49%, but a third of people are at least partially open to persuasion. ... "

"After nine months the UK has delivered," declared EU Council President Donald Tusk in a portentous tweet on receipt of the letter triggering Brexit from Prime Minister Theresa May.

The tone of his speech in Brussels was full of regret. There was "no reason to pretend that this is a happy day" in Brussels or London, he added. "We already miss you."

Looking on the bright side, he said there was "also something positive" about Brexit as it had made the 27 states remaining in the EU more determined and united than before.

"After nine months the UK has delivered,"

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