Free Republic

LONDON — Only one person, the joke doing the rounds in Parliament goes, can stop the disheveled, blond-haired, crowd-pleasing former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, from becoming the country’s next prime minister. That is Mr. Johnson himself. One of Britain’s most recognizable, and now most divisive politicians, Mr. Johnson has a history of verbal gaffes, a poor record as a minister and many enemies in Parliament, not to mention among the voters who reject Brexit, which he helped persuade Britons to embrace in a 2016 referendum. But his charisma, flair for publicity and record of winning two elections as mayor of...

The European Union has agreed to give the United Kingdom a short delay to Brexit — but only if Members of Parliament vote for Theresa May's deal next week. Leaders of the 27 other EU member states said on Thursday that they were prepared to extend the Article 50 withdrawal process until May 22, to give the UK time to prepare for its departure, according to draft conclusions obtained by several news organisation. The date coincides with the start of the European Parliament elections. However, the offer falls some way short of the three month extension ending on June 30...

Theresa May is to make a statement to MP's at 15:30 GMT amid reports Tuesday's vote on her Brexit deal is being delayed. That will be followed by a statement from the Commons leader Andrea Leadsom-and then a statement from the Brexit secretary on Article 50. Two cabinet sources have told the BBC's Laura Keunssberg Tuesday's planned Brexit vote will be delayed. There is not yet any official confirmation of the move. Downing Street had been insisting the vote would go ahead, despite Mrs. May being widely expected to lose it.....

"The enduring power of the British spirit" A little over a week ago, we learned that Prime Minister Theresa May intended to abide by the wishes of the voters, invoke “Article 50” by delivering a letter of intent, and trigger Britain’s exit from the European Union. Today, the big moment arrived and, true to her word, the UK will soon be out. As May told the House of Commons

History was made today as the Article 50 letter confirming Britain's divorce from the EU was finally delivered - with Theresa May pledging to create a 'brighter future' outside the club. The UK's envoy Sir Tim Barrow handed the formal notification to European Council president Donald Tusk in Brussels. As the point of no return was reached, the Prime Minister told the House of Commons that she was 'giving effect to the democratic will of the UK people'.

The British government has said it will trigger Article 50, formally starting the process of leaving the European Union, on March 29. The move will start the clock ticking on a two-year countdown to Brexit and allow negotiations to start between London and Brussels in the coming weeks.

This Monday or Tuesday sees the “Ping Pong” of the Bill for triggering Article 50 (the mechanism that allows the UK to withdraw from the EU), shuttling between the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Once done, Prime Minister Theresa May will be in a position to announce that the UK is giving notice of leaving to the EU and Brexit negotiations can officially begin. Political chater is indicating that she could give notice to leave as early as Wednesday the 15th. But what happens next? What will the “Movers & Shakers” be aiming for? And most importantly,...

Theresa May made a highly unusual appearance at the House of Lords today as peers began their two-day debate on the Brexit bill. The prime minister sat close to the throne as Lords leader Baroness Evans said the Government had a ‘strong mandate’ from the people and elected MPs to trigger Article 50. ‘This Bill is not the place to try and shape the terms of our exit, restrict the Government’s hand before in enters into complex negotiations or attempt to re-run the referendum,’ she added. The European Union (notification of Withdrawal) Bill has passed major hurdles in the House...

Remainers had hoped it would be the night when they finally made a dent in Theresa May’s Brexit plans as they put forward a bewildering array of new clauses and amendments to the Article 50 bill. Nine proposals in all, ranging from the rights of EU migrants to the opinions of the Gibraltar Government, were put to the vote, and one by one all nine proposals were thrown out by MPs. It was a flawless night for Theresa May, as the EU (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was passed by 494 votes to 122 in its original, unamended form.

As Norway seeks clarity over its future trade relations with Britain once it leaves the EU, the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator said on Wednesday that Britain is free to discuss trade deals with other countries but remains bound by EU trade policy as long as it is an official member. Norway is not a member of the EU but it has close ties to the bloc through the framework of the European Economic Area (EEA). The Nordic nation is often looked to as a model for how Britain’s future ties to the EU could look. […] “What could prevent countries...

A vote to trigger Article 50, which would make the United Kingdom depart from the European Union, passed the British parliament today by a wide margin. Article 50 must be triggered by the end of March next year, setting up the "Brexit" once and for all. While this is certainly a step in the right direction for those in favor of leaving the EU, the move is largely symbolic and is not actually binding or a certainty that anything will happen. Britain has taken a significant, although largely symbolic, step closer to Brexit after the MPs voted by a...

German firms expect exports to Britain to tumble five percent next year in the wake of the Britain’s vote to quit the EU, an industry survey showed on Thursday. The German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) also revised its projection for 2016 to a one-percent drop rather than five percent growth. The figures were based on a survey of 5,600 businesses that export to Britain following the June 23 referendum in which 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the EU. Britain is currently Germany’s third-largest export market, buying up €89 billion of goods in 2015. …

Wishful thinking, or a legitimate perspective on demonstrations of buyer’s remorse in the UK? It’s no secret, after all, that the Obama administration opposed the “Brexit” referendum that passed last week, which makes John Kerry’s skepticism about its actual implementation a bit self-serving. That doesn’t necessarily make him incorrect, however: The US secretary of state has raised doubts about whether Brexit will ever happen, suggesting most leave campaigners do not truly believe in Britain’s divorce from the EU and do not know how to achieve it. Claiming there were a number of ways in which Thursday’s vote could be “walked...

Chancellor Angela Merkel said at the EU summit in Brussels late on Tuesday that she didn’t see any way that the British decision to leave the EU could be reversed. “I don’t see a way to turn it round. This isn’t the time for wishful thinking,” said Merkel. The possibility of avoiding a Brexit was not even raised at the summit, the Chancellor claimed. “The referendum is a clear reality.” […] When EU leaders next meet in September, only 27 will be there, with Britain already shut out. “That is a good next step,” said Merkel. …

FRANCE today told Britain to appoint a new prime minister within “a few days” and to immediately quit the EU by soon triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. Speaking in Berlin following a meeting of the six founding member states of the EU, French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault told the UK not to play a “cat and mouse” game following the historic Brexit vote. He said: “Of course a new prime minister must be appointed, that will probably require a few days but this is quite urgent.

BRUSSELS: EU chiefs on Friday told Britain to start negotiations to quit the bloc "as soon as possible", after outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron said he would leave the negotiations to his successor. "We now expect the United Kingdom government to give effect to this decision of the British people as soon as possible, however painful that process may be," said a joint statement after Britons voted for a Brexit . "Any delay would unnecessarily prolong uncertainty." The statement was issued by EU president Donald Tusk, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Parliament leader Martin Schulz and Dutch premier Mark...