Alwaght- British Prime Minister Theresa May has initiated the formal, two-year process of negotiations that will lead to Britain leaving the European Union (EU) popularly known as Brexit.
A letter invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty and officially notifying the EU of Britain's decision to withdraw from the bloc was hand-delivered to European Council President Donald Tusk in Brussels by British Ambassador to the EU Tim Barrow on Wednesday. Copies are to be sent to the other 27 EU member states.
In a speech to parliament designed to coincide with the letter's delivery, Theresa May urged the country to come together as it embarks on a "momentous journey."
"We are one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. And, now that the decision has been made to leave the EU, it is time to come together," she said.
The move instantly plunged both Britain and the 27 other E.U. nations into two years of what will almost certainly be messy and acrimonious negotiations over the terms of the split-up.
The talks will include several subjects, such as trade terms, immigration rules, financial regulations and, of course, money. Britain joined the group that became the European Union in 1973, so decades of ties, pacts and arrangements are part of the complicated unraveling.
England’s 310-year-old union with Scotland is also in jeopardy, while the border separating Northern Ireland -- a U.K. province -- from the Republic of Ireland could become a hard one.
Meanwhile, hate crimes in Britain have risen to record numbers in the three months following Britain’s referendum to exit the EU. On June 23, 2016, 17.4 million Britons voted to end their 43-year-old membership of the European Union — a proportion of 52 per cent to 48 per cent.
