Royal assent granted for Brexit bill

British Prime Minister Theresa May has been given the legal power to start Brexit talks after Queen Elizabeth II granted royal assent to the Article 50 Bill.


Speaker John Bercow told MPs that the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill, which was passed by MPs and peers on Monday, had received its final sign off, prompting cheers from the Conservative benches.

Mrs May has said she will invoke Article 50, the legal mechanism for withdrawal from the EU, by the end of the month in what will be a "defining moment" for the country.

This will start the clock on a two-year countdown to Britain leaving the EU and launch the country into what are set to be the most complicated negotiations since World War II.

Britain's future trading relationship with the bloc and any exit bill which it may have to pay are both set to be highly contentious issues in the forthcoming negotiations.
 [rte.ie]
16/3/17