Latest: Britain must sell Brexit to Europe says Farage
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage says British politicians now need to speak to the people of Europe and sell the benefits of Brexit as part of the divorce discussions.
He thinks they should explain that failure to reach a deal would hurt trade with the EU and therefore hit European jobs.
"British politicians need to get out there into Munich nto teh GFrench wining producing regions, into the areas where they export huge amounts of goods into Britain for them to put pressure on their own politicians"
A sombre-faced European Council president Donald Tusk held up the letter announcing Britain’s intention to leave the EU as he delivered the sad message: "We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye."
Speaking just minutes after British Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed the delivery of the letter to MPs in the UK’s House of Commons, Mr Tusk said it was not "a happy day" for him or for the European Union.
He promised to begin arrangements for an "orderly withdrawal" for the UK, but said there was nothing for either side to gain from the two years of negotiations to come, which would be no more than an effort at "damage control".
Mr Tusk was himself the first to announce officially that the so-called Article 50 letter had been handed to him in his Brussels office by UK permanent representative Tim Barrow, revealing the news in a tweet several minutes before Mrs May’s statement to the Commons began.
Mr Tusk said that the remaining 27 EU states were "more determined and more united than before", following their agreement on plans for the future at the Union’s 60th anniversary commemorations in Rome last weekend.
The unity of the 27 gave him and the European Commission a "strong mandate" to protect the interests of the 27 in the "difficult" Brexit negotiations, he said.
Holding up the Article 50 letter at a Brussels press conference, Mr Tusk said: "So here it is. Six pages. The notification from Prime Minister Theresa May triggering Article 50 and formally starting the negotiations over the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union.
"There is no reason to pretend that this is a happy day, neither in Brussels nor in London.
"After all, most Europeans - including almost half the British voters - wish that we would stay together, not drift apart.
"For me, I will not pretend that I am happy today."
"But, paradoxically, there is also something positive in Brexit. Brexit has made us, the community of 27, more determined and more united than before.
"I am fully confident of this, especially after the Rome declaration. Today, I can say that we will remain determined and united also in the future during the difficult negotiations ahead.
"This means that both I and the Commission have a strong mandate to protect the interests of the 27."
Mr Tusk said that the EU’s clear goal in negotiations was "to minimise the cost for the EU’s citizens, businesses and member states" resulting from Brexit.
"We will do everything in our power and we have all the tools to achieve this goal," he said.
The European Council president added: "As for now nothing has changed. Until the United Kingdom leaves the European Union, EU law will continue to apply to and within the UK."
An official statement released by the European Council on behalf of leaders of the 27 remaining member states stressed that "we will act as one and start negotiation by focusing on key arrangements for an orderly withdrawal", he said.
Mr Tusk said he would unveil his draft negotiating guidelines in Malta on Friday, ahead of an extraordinary summit on April 29 when they are expected to be adopted by the EU27.
Concluding his comments, he sent a personal message to Britain: "What can I add to this? We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye."
: The letter states: "The United Kingdom wants to agree with the European Union a deep and special partnership that takes in both economic and security cooperation. To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU."
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Theresa May’s Brexit letter to the EU’s Donald Tusk in full
Mrs May said in the letter that in the case that no deal is reached and Britain leaves without a deal, "both sides would of course cope with the change", but added: "It is not the outcome that either side should seek. We must therefore work hard to avoid that outcome."
A bitter, divisive campaign and 33 million votes later, Brexit came down to two men and an envelope in a smart Brussels office.
Last year’s referendum had passionate debate and hard fought campaigns, leading to the historic decision that Britain should leave the European Union.
But for all the excitement of a big red bus, high profile poster campaigns and street stalls across the country, the actual mechanics of starting Brexit were a lot more mundane.
Tim Barrow, only three months into the job as permanent representative of the UK to the EU entered the room of European Council president Donald Tusk armed with a white envelope.
The pair spoke in hushed tones surrounded by two Union Flags and two European Union flags in a room on the 11th floor of the Europa building.
Then, as cameras rapidly fired away to capture the historic moment, Sir Tim passed the letter to Mr Tusk, confirming the intended departure.
The pair shook hands and left, Mr Tusk to an office on the left and Sir Tim down a corridor to the right.
The formal triggering of Article 50 had begun and the UK was officially on a course to leave the European Union after 44 years.
It was not the bang of June 24 last year, David Cameron’s resignation, Nigel Farage holding a pint aloft, Scotland seeking a new independence referendum but not quite a whimper either, as the future relationship between the UK and the EU looks set to change for good.
: The letter informing the European Council of Britain’s intention to leave the European Union has been handed over to EC president Donald Tusk in Brussels.
The historic declaration, signed by Theresa May, sets in train a two-year process of negotiation under Article 50 of the EU treaties leading to Britain’s expected withdrawal after 46 years of membership in 2019.
It was personally hand-delivered to Mr Tusk by the UK’s permanent representative to the EU, Sir Tim Barrow, just moments before the Prime Minister addressed MPs in the House of Commons on her negotiation plans.
Mrs May was expected to promise to represent "every person in the UK", including EU nationals, when she takes to the negotiating table.
She was telling the Commons that "as we face the opportunities ahead of us on this momentous journey, our shared values, interests and ambitions can, and must, bring us together".
Chancellor Philip Hammond warned that there would be "consequences" for Britain in leaving the EU, saying the Government recognised that "we can’t cherry-pick, we can’t have our cake and eat it".
Speaking ahead of an early-morning Article 50-day Cabinet chaired by Mrs May at 10 Downing Street, Mr Hammond told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "By deciding to leave the EU and negotiate a future relationship with the EU as an independent nation, there will be certain consequences to that and we accept those."
He said the letter builds on the position the Prime Minister has already set out, indicating that the UK would leave the single market and would not remain a "full member" of the European customs union.
Theresa May has gathered her senior ministers in Downing Street as the UK prepares for a "pivotal moment" in its journey to a future outside the European Union.
The British Prime Minister has signed the letter that starts the formal exit process and the historic document will be hand-delivered by a senior diplomat to EU chiefs in Brussels.
Shortly before a Cabinet meeting, British Chancellor Philip Hammond said the letter sets the "right tone" and sends the "right signals" to European leaders about how the UK wants to conduct the negotiations that will decide the country’s future.
At some time after 12.30pm the premier will inform MPs that Brexit is being triggered and, in Brussels, British ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow will deliver the document to European Council president Donald Tusk.
Once it has been accepted, Article 50 has been officially launched, starting a two-year countdown to the UK leaving the EU.
Mr Hammond said it was an "exciting time", telling the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: "This is a pivotal moment for Britain."
Mr Barrow arrived at the European Council clutching a briefcase containing the Article 50 letter as cameras captured the historic moment.
Mr Hammond said the letter builds on the position the Prime Minister has already set out, indicating that the UK would leave the single market and would not remain a "full member" of the customs union.
"Of course it will go further in expressing how we want to take the negotiation forward and how we see this negotiation developing," he said.
The Chancellor said the Government’s position on leaving the single market and customs union would have "consequences" but demonstrated that "we understand that we can’t cherry-pick, we can’t have our cake and eat it".
He said: "By deciding to leave the EU and negotiate a future relationship with the EU as an independent nation, there will be certain consequences to that and we accept those."
The Chancellor said that although preparations were being made for the possibility of leaving the EU without a deal, he was "absolutely confident" that an agreement on the ongoing relationship would be sealed.
He played down warnings that Brexit would lead to lorries queuing up at Dover as customs checks and red tape meant trade ground to halt.
"It is not in the interests of anybody on the continent of Europe to have lines of trucks," he said.
"I’m very confident that we will not get an outcome that is a worst-case outcome for everybody. That would be ridiculous."
Mr Hammond also indicated that the UK was not seeking to use the triggering of Article 50 as a cut-off date for EU citizens in the UK hoping to see their rights continue after Brexit.
"Of course they can come here after today," he said. "We remain full members of the EU with all the obligations and all the rights of membership."
He also responded to suggestions from Brussels that the EU would seek an exit fee in excess of £50 billion to cover the cost of obligations the UK made while a member.
"I should be clear that we simply do not recognise some of the very large numbers that have been bandied about in Brussels," he said.
The Prime Minister will promise to represent "every person in the UK", including EU nationals, when she takes to the negotiating table.
She will tell the Commons that "as we face the opportunities ahead of us on this momentous journey, our shared values, interests and ambitions can, and must, bring us together".
Key EU figures agreed to enter into Brexit talks in a "positive spirit" during a series of telephone calls with Mrs May on Tuesday evening.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK would remain a "close and committed ally".
Within 48 hours, the European Commission is expected to issue "draft negotiation guidelines", which will be sent to the 27 remaining states for consultation.
Their leaders will meet on April 29 at an extraordinary European Council summit to agree a mandate for chief negotiator Michel Barnier and clear the way for talks to begin in earnest in May.
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said: "It will be a national failure of historic proportions if the Prime Minister comes back from Brussels without having secured protection for jobs and living standards.
"That’s why Labour has set the clear priorities of full access to the European market, rights at work and environmental protection. And we will hold the Government to account every step of the way."
Here are the key moments expected on the day British Prime Minister Theresa May triggers Article 50:
:: At 08:00 The British Prime Minister’s top team will gather round the Cabinet table in No 10 Downing Street to discuss the contents of the letter that starts Britain’s exit from the European Union.
:: 12:00 Mrs May will appear at the Commons despatch box for the regular weekly session of Prime Minister’s Questions. Once that finishes, sometime around 12:30, she will make a statement to MPs confirming the start of the two-year extraction process. At around the same time British ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow will deliver the letter to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels. Once it has been accepted, Article 50 has been officially triggered.
:: 12:45 As Mrs May finishes her formal statement, a text of the letter will be released. Mr Tusk will make a statement in the Europa Building to reporters soon after. Copies of the letter will be sent to the leaders of all other 27 EU member states.
:: 16:15 European Parliament Brexit negotiator Guy Verhofstadt and its president, Antonio Tajani, will hold a press conference.
:: 16:30 European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will take questions from reporters on other EU issues during a visit to Malta but is likely to be asked about the start of Britain’s departure from the bloc.
