UK government wins approval for Article 50 legislation

The British government has won final approval from parliament for legislation giving Prime Minister Theresa May the power to trigger the country's exit from the European Union.

British Brexit minister David Davis welcomed parliament's approval on Monday.

"Parliament has today backed the government in its determination to get on with the job of leaving the EU ... We are now on the threshold of the most important negotiation for our country in a generation," Davis said in a statement.

"So we will trigger Article 50 by the end of this month as planned and deliver an outcome that works in the interests of the whole of the UK."

After members of the lower house of parliament voted earlier in the day to throw out changes to the bill made by the upper house in recent weeks, the upper house also agreed to pass the legislation unamended.

The bill goes next to Queen Elizabeth for final signoff, and May can then invoke Article 50, the formal mechanism for leaving the EU, at any time she chooses.
  [aljazeera.com]
14/3/17