Brexit countdown after Lords’ nod
Theresa May condemns plans for fresh Scottish referendum
Prime Minister Theresa May is set to begin the countdown to Brexit after Parliament gave her the green light — and Scotland wrong-footed her by launching a fresh bid for independence.
Downing Street has played down speculation that Ms May could announce on Tuesday that she is triggering the Article 50 process to leave the European Union, indicating that it would take place later in the month.
But, coming just hours after legislators approved a bill empowering her to begin the divorce, the Prime Minister’s statement in the House of Commons could be an opportunity to set out her plans in more detail.
Ms May appeared to be caught off guard on Monday when Scotland’s nationalist government announced plans for a second referendum on breaking from the UK.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon had warned that the prospect was on the cards since the June vote to leave the EU — in which a majority of Scots voted to stay — but an announcement had not been expected so soon.
Ms May immediately condemned the plan, saying that less than three years after Scots voted by 55 per cent to reject independence, another vote would cause only “uncertainty and division”.
But, it realised one of her biggest fears about Brexit and opened up a second battlefront as she prepares for two years of tough negotiations with the EU.
EU leaders were braced for a potential announcement on Article 50 this week, and the European Parliament was ready to hold a special debate and a vote on its plans for the negotiations.
While this is now looking less likely, ministers insist that Brexit will begin by the end of March, putting Britain on course to become the first country to leave the EU.
London, March 14: British Prime Minister Theresa May prepares to open negotiations to leave the EU having finally overcome opposition in parliament, but she now faces the monumental task of thrashing out details of the divorce.
And with Scotland on the brink of making a new bid for independence and warning signs that the Brexit vote is beginning to hit the economy, political analysts warned that Ms May still faces plenty of obstacles.
Warnings from EU leaders that Britain will have to pay a hefty exit bill and face tough conditions for leaving the bloc have added to the uncertainty.
“Things could turn pretty sticky pretty quickly,” said Tim Bale, professor of politics at Queen Mary University of London.
On the domestic front, Ms May has moved deftly at the start of a two-year process filled with inevitable compromises and risks.
Parliament gave final approval on Monday to a bill empowering the Prime Minister to begin Brexit, clearing her path to embark on the delicate task at any time.
Earlier, a threatened rebellion in the lower House of Commons over parliament’s say on the final Brexit deal failed to materialise, as none of Ms May’s Conservative Party MPs voted against her, although a handful abstained.
The vote made clear how, eight months after taking office, Ms May is enjoying an extended honeymoon, boosted by a weak opposition, relatively economic stability and an aggressively eurosceptic press.