Mrs May will hold talks with European Council president Donald Tusk in No 10 on Thursday.
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But at least seven lawsuits have been brought to force the government to accept that parliament should decide whether Britain should trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal exit process, rather than the prime minister.
‘This is the position shared by all 27 member states. To put it simply, the ball is now in your court. He said the process should begin as soon as possible.
“Our goal (is) to establish closest possible EU-UK relations”.
Pat McFadden MP of the Open Britain campaign, said: “The Government’s position of giving no clarity may be a result of not knowing what their three Brexit ministers will say next, but it’s not good enough for the public, who deserve to know what direction we are going in following the referendum”.
UK Brexit secretary David Davis says there will be no second referendum and that Britain will leave the European Union as planned.
Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron responded: “This Government isn’t concealing its hand – it hasn’t got a hand or, it would appear, a clue”. He also implied that the United Kingdom had a strong negotiating position, thinking a “unique solution” was needed for the United Kingdom given it being “a large market for very important industries in the European Union”.
Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn said there was “huge uncertainty” and an “extraordinary lack of planning”, warning also about rising levels of hate crimes against European Union immigrants.
According to The Telegraph, May will invoke Article 50 without a vote in the parliament.
A warning letter also addressed to the UK from the Japanese government stating that Japanese companies based in the UK want the Brexit negotiations to preserve, not only the EU customs union and single market, but also the free flow of workers between the EU and the UK if they are to remain based here.
Announced by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox and his Australian counterpart Steven Ciobo, its agenda will also include “trade policy issues of mutual interest” such as World Trade Organisation processes and potential new trade.
Mr Ciobo said a trade deal with the United Kingdom can only happen “when the time is right”, adding that it may not be for another three years if, as has been suggested, Article 50 is not triggered until next year.
“By building on existing partnerships, forging new relationships and shaping an ambitious global role, we will make a success of Brexit – for Britain and for all our partners – and we will continue to strengthen the prosperity and security of all our citizens for generations to come”.
The Japanese government recently warned that if the United Kingdom did not retain access to the single market its biggest companies would likely move from Britain to the EU.
A member of the ruling Conservative Party criticised his “optimistic tone”, saying it was not enough to satisfy Britons who want to know what Brexit will look like.
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“In the next two years we will be developing that team to build the world class negotiating strengths needed to deliver the best outcomes for the United Kingdom”, he said, adding that it would also hire experts in specific sectors of the economy.
