What happens next?
Here is a potential timeline of events.
- 29 March, 2017 - UK triggers Article 50
- 29 April - EU summit of the 27 leaders (without the UK) to agree to give the European Commission a mandate to negotiate with the UK
- May - European Commission to publish negotiating guidelines based on the mandate the EU leaders give it. The EU might say something about possible parallel negotiation on a future EU-UK trade deal
- May/June 2017 - Negotiations begin
- 23 April and 7 May - French presidential elections
- 24 September - German parliamentary elections
- Autumn 2017 - The UK government is expected to introduce legislation to leave the EU and put all existing EU laws into British law - the Great Repeal Bill
- October 2018 - Aim to complete negotiations
- Between October 2018 and March 2019 - The Houses of Parliament, European Council and European Parliament vote on any deal
- March 2019 - UK formally withdraws from the European Union (The Article 50 negotiations could be extended, but this is subject to the approval of the other 27 EU member states)
The detailed version of this is from the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-39422353
The PM will have delivered the letter today and will at 12:30 make a statement on the issue to the House of Commons after Prime Ministers Questions.
