News story: Article 50 Bill process begins

The straightforward Bill, which gives the Prime Minister the power to formally trigger Article 50, is expected to move through both the House of Commons and House of Lords before gaining Royal Assent prior to the March 31st deadline.

The Bill comes ahead of the introduction of the Great Repeal Bill, that will transpose EU law into UK law to ensure the maximum stability on exit, with changes to the law requiring the full consent of Parliament.

Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union David Davis said:

The British people have made the decision to leave the EU and this government is determined to get on with the job of delivering it.

So today we have introduced a Bill in Parliament which will allow us to formally trigger Article 50 by the end of March.

I trust that Parliament, which backed the referendum by six to one, will respect the decision taken by the British people and pass the legislation quickly.

The Bill is being introduced following the judgment handed down by the Supreme Court earlier this week. It can be found here.