• Home
  • About us
  • Contact Us
  • Date/Time
  • Login
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
Home
  • Home
  • Blogs
  • Politics
  • Economics & Finance
  • World
  • Arts & Books
  • Life
  • Science
  • Philosophy
  • Subscribe
  • Events
  • Home
  • Politics

What happens once Theresa May triggers Article 50?

Despite peers voting against the government last night, May's March deadline will be stuck to. Once she does press the button, politics will matter more than economics

by Henry Newman / March 2, 2017 / Leave a comment
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

The government’s defeat in the Lords last night is unlikely to stop May pressing the button this month ©PA/PA Wire/PA Images

The government has committed to triggering Article 50, formally starting Brexit, by the end of this month. This means that Britain will be outside the European Union by spring 2019, unless both sides agree to extend negotiations or to introduce some sort of phased withdrawal. Last night’s defeat for the Government in the House of Lords won’t affect this timetable: either there will be a concession to address the concerns of peers, or the House of Commons will reject the amendment.

So far, Brussels and EU member states have broadly held the position that Brexit negotiations cannot start until the UK notifies them of its intention to leave. Nonetheless there have been some gambits from Europe—most significantly the Commission’s argument that Britain will have to pay a “divorce bill” of around €60bn, and the often-repeated line that the UK cannot have as good access to the single market from outside as it does from inside.

The first stage of negotiations will be to agree the form that the process itself will take. Discussions to this end will probably coincide with the period of elections in France and Germany. By the autumn, elections will be out of the way and negotiations proper can begin. The European Commission wants first to resolve Britain’s outstanding financial liabilities—the €60bn question—before discussing any future arrangement on trade and other cooperation. The UK argues both deals must be negotiated in parallel.

Over the next few weeks we will find out which side wins the struggle over process but there is some suggestion that Europe’s biggest power, Germany…

YOU’VE HIT THE LIMIT

You have now reached your limit of 3 free articles in the last 30 days.
But don’t worry! You can get another 7 articles absolutely free, simply by entering your email address in the box below.

When you register we’ll also send you a free e-book—Writing with punch—which includes some of the finest writing from our archive of 22 years. And we’ll also send you a weekly newsletter with the best new ideas in politics and philosophy of culture, which you can of course unsubscribe from at any time







Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

16008730145c6ef63d6f0568.31261493

Go to comments

Related articles

Dereliction of duty does not begin to cover what happened in parliament yesterday
Jonathan Lis / January 30, 2019
In granting May a mandate to replace the backstop, MPs might as well have granted her a...
We didn't have to do Brexit in this damn silly way
David Allen Green / November 9, 2018
There's still time to do Brexit right. This is how
Share with friends
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Linkedin
  • Email

Comments

  1. Mark C.
    March 4, 2017 at 12:50
    At last, an article from Prospect aligned to the reality of Brexit.

Prospect's free newsletter

The big ideas that are shaping our world—straight to your inbox. PLUS a free e-book and 7 articles of your choosing on the Prospect website.

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information. Click here to learn more about these purposes and how we use your data. You will be able to opt-out of further contact on the next page and in all our communications.

This Month's Magazine

Perspiciatis unde omnis iste natus.

Prospect is the leading magazine of ideas. Each month it is packed with the finest writing on politics, culture, economics and ideas. Subscribe today and join the debate.

Subscribe

Most Popular

  • Read
  • Commented

This proposal for breaking the Brexit deadlock deserves serious consideration

Did the SDP really split the left in 1983?

The Duel: Has modern architecture ruined Britain?

The invigorating strangeness of Friedrich Nietzsche

The Conservative Party has a problem—it’s no longer conservative

5 Comments

The impact of Brexit on services has not received nearly enough attention

2 Comments

Even if Britain stays in Europe, we need a new constitutional settlement

2 Comments

If May's deal is in flames, Labour should not seek to put out the fire

2 Comments

The naïve optimism of Liam Fox

2 Comments

About this author

Henry Newman
Henry Newman is Director of Open Europe. He tweets @HenryNewman

Next Prospect events

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club—Diarmaid MacCulloch

    London, 2019-05-20

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club—Sue Prideaux

    2019-04-15

  • Details

    Prospect Book Club—Andrew Roberts

    2019-03-14

See more events

Sponsored features

  • The future of transport: taking Britain into the fast lane

  • Reforming the pension system to work for the many

  • Putting savers in the driving seat: getting the pensions dashboard right

  • To fix the housing crisis we need fresh thinking

  • Tata Steel UK: Driving innovation for the future of mobility

PrimeTime

The magazine is owned and supported by the Resolution Group, as part of its not-for-profit, public interest activities.

Follow us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • RSS

Editorial

Editor: Tom Clark
Deputy Editor: Steve Bloomfield
Managing Editor (Arts & Books): Sameer Rahim
Head of Digital: Stephanie Boland
Deputy Digital Editor (Political Correspondent): Alex Dean
Creative Director: Mike Turner
Production Editor & Designer: Chris Tilbury
US Writer-at-Large: Sam Tanenhaus

Commercial

Commercial Director: Alex Stevenson
Head of Marketing: Paul Mortimer
Marketing and Circulations Executive: James Hawkins
Programme Coordinator: Oliver James Ward
Head of Advertising Sales: Adam Kinlan 020 3372 2934
Senior Account Manager: Dominic Slonecki 0203 372 2972

  • Home
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Acceptable Use Policy
© Prospect Publishing Limited
×
Login
Login with your subscriber account:
You need a valid subscription to login.
I am
Remember Me


Forgotten password?

Or enter with social networking:
Login to post comments using social media accounts.
  • With Twitter
  • Connect
  • With Google +
×
Register Now

Register today and access any 7 articles on the Prospect’s website for FREE in the next 30 days..
PLUS find out about the big ideas that will shape our world—with Prospect’s FREE newsletter sent to your inbox. We'll even send you our e-book—Writing with punch—with some of the finest writing from the Prospect archive, at no extra cost!

Not Now, Thanks

Prospect may process your personal information for our legitimate business purposes, to provide you with our newsletter, subscription offers and other relevant information.

Click to learn more about these interests and how we use your data. You will be able to object to this processing on the next page and in all our communications.

×
You’ve got full access!

It looks like you are a Prospect subscriber.

Prospect subscribers have full access to all the great content on our website, including our entire archive.

If you do not know your login details, simply close this pop-up and click 'Login' on the black bar at the top of the screen, then click 'Forgotten password?', enter your email address and press 'Submit'. Your password will then be emailed to you.

Thank you for your support of Prospect and we hope that you enjoy everything the site has to offer.

This site uses cookies to improve the user experience. By using this site, you agree that we can set and use these cookies. For more details on the cookies we use and how to manage them, see our Privacy and Cookie Policy.