May triggers Brexit; calls for unity
BRITAIN: Prime Minister Theresa May has called on Britons to put their Brexit disagreements behind them and join forces on the ‘‘momentous journey’’ to freedom from the European Union.
On the day she formally set Brexit in motion by triggering Article 50, May set out her ‘‘fierce determination’’ to get the right deal for ‘‘every single person in this country’’.
With a Union flag by her side and beneath a portrait of Robert Walpole, Britain’s first prime minister, his successor sat at the Cabinet table and signed the historic letter to give notice of Britain’s decision to leave the EU.
It will be hand-delivered to Donald Tusk, president of the European Council, and when he opens it, the clock will start ticking on two years of negotiations to agree the terms of Britain’s withdrawal.
May was given a foretaste of the rocky road ahead when European leaders went on the attack telling her they will veto any attempt to curtail migrants’ rights before the withdrawal takes place in 2019.
Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament’s chief Brexit negotiator, warned May that any ‘‘unilateral decision’’ to curtail the rights of EU citizens in the UK ‘‘would be contrary to EU law’’ and would be ‘‘vigorously’’ opposed.
But it is understood that while May’s letter to Tusk will include a broad outline of her negotiating position, it will not contain any mention of a cut-off date for migrants’ rights.
Several government ministers had suggested today would be the deadline for migrants to come to Britain and claim full rights, but May went against them, insisting the cut-off date had to be part of the negotiations.
Instead, May will tell the House of Commons today that she will fight as hard for EU migrants as for everyone else in the UK.
She will say: ‘‘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.’’
May will try to unify the country behind her by talking of ‘‘shared values, interests and ambitions’’ that ‘‘can, and must, bring us together . . . 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’’.
She will add: ‘‘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.’’
May will announce to the Commons at 12.30pm local time) that the Article 50 letter has been delivered to Tusk by Sir Tim Barrow, Britain’s permanent representative to the European Union. Its contents will be published before May and her Cabinet get the negotiating process under way with a round of phone calls to their European counterparts.
May made ‘‘goodwill’’ calls to key European leaders yesterday. Jean-claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, said he had a ‘‘good and constructive’’ conversation with her. May also called German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Tusk.
Downing Street said the leaders ‘‘agreed that a strong EU was in everyone’s interests and that the UK would remain a close and committed ally’’.
A spokesman added: ‘‘They also agreed on the importance of entering into negotiations in a constructive and positive spirit, and of ensuring a smooth and orderly exit process.’’ – Telegraph Group