British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday assured her European counterparts that the timetable for Brexit negotiations &quot;remains unchanged&quot;.&nbsp;

England&#39;s High Court on Thursday had ruled that Article 50 cannot be triggered without the approval of the Parliament.&nbsp;

May told German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU President Jean-Claude Juncker that the British government was confident about Supreme Court ruling in their favor next month, AFP reported.&nbsp;

She assured the same to French President Francois Hollande and European Council president Donald Tusk.&nbsp;

British foreign secretary Boris Johnson downplaying the court&#39;s ruling told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier &quot;The British people voted to leave the European Union, and leave the treaties of the European Union, and that is what we are going to get on and do.&quot;

Stephen Phillips, a pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker resigned as an MP regarding May&#39;s decision to not consult the Parliament.&nbsp;

He cited &quot;irreconcilable policy differences with the current government&quot; and said he could live with the label of a &quot;quitter&quot; than a &quot;conservative,&quot; Reuters reported.&nbsp;

There has been growing public anger over High Court&#39;s verdict with pro-Brexit newspapers calling the three judges as &quot;enemies of the people&quot;, and criticised people on social media who supported staying in EU, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

Since taking office, May has been pushing forward for Brexit as quickly as possible to show she will implement the referendum despite voting to stay in EU.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from agencies)

England's High Court had recently ruled that Parliament must approve the country's leaving of the EU

British Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday assured her European counterparts that the timetable for Brexit negotiations "remains unchanged". England's High Court on Thursday had ruled that Article 50 cannot be triggered without the approval of the Parliament. May told German Chancellor Angela Merkel and EU President Jean-Claude Juncker that the British government was confident about Supreme Court ruling in their favor next month, AFP reported. She assured the same to French President Francois Hollande and European Council president Donald Tusk. British foreign secretary Boris Johnson downplaying the court's ruling told his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier "The British people voted to leave the European Union, and leave the treaties of the European Union, and that is what we are going to get on and do." Stephen Phillips, a pro-Brexit Conservative lawmaker resigned as an MP regarding May's decision to not consult the Parliament. He cited "irreconcilable policy differences with the current government" and said he could live with the label of a "quitter" than a "conservative," Reuters reported. There has been growing public anger over High Court's verdict with pro-Brexit newspapers calling the three judges as "enemies of the people", and criticised people on social media who supported staying in EU, Reuters reported. Since taking office, May has been pushing forward for Brexit as quickly as possible to show she will implement the referendum despite voting to stay in EU. (WION with inputs from agencies)

UK PM says Brexit timetable 'unchanged' despite shock ruling

In a landmark constitutional decision, the England&#39;s high court on Thursday ruled that the UK Parliament must hold a vote on beginning the process of leaving the European Union.&nbsp;

The British government said it will appeal the shock ruling that parliament, and not the government, must approve the start of Britain&#39;s withdrawal from the European Union.

&quot;We will appeal this judgment,&quot; said a statement from Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s office. &quot;The country voted to leave the European Union in a referendum approved by Act of Parliament.&quot;

May had said she intends to use her right of &quot;historic prerogative powers&quot; and begin the formal exit talks by March end, but the latest verdict means the government must conduct a parliamentary vote in order to trigger the Article 50.&nbsp;

Most members of the House of Commons campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU in the June referendum, and there is speculation they could push for a softer break with the bloc and the parliamentary vote could delay the Brexit by months.

May has accused those involving the court of seeking to frustrate the process and delay the discussions with the EU, which could affect her negotiating stance.&nbsp;

The campaigners argue that Britain was taken into the EU by parliament, and only the parliament can make the decision to leave.

&quot;This is not about whether we should stay or leave, this is actually about how we leave,&quot; Gina Miller, the co-founder of investment fund SCM Private and the lead claimant in the case, told AFP last month.

She added: &quot;If we bypass or we set a precedent... that a prime minister can decide what rights we have and what rights we don&#39;t, then basically we go back to being a dictatorship and we roll back democracy 400 years.&quot;

The government is expected to challenge the ruling and appeal to the Supreme Court for final deliberation before the end of the year.&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from AFP) 
&nbsp;

In a major upset for Theresa May's Brexit plans, the high court said the UK govenment must take parliamentary approval to trigger Article 50

In a landmark constitutional decision, the England's high court on Thursday ruled that the UK Parliament must hold a vote on beginning the process of leaving the European Union. The British government said it will appeal the shock ruling that parliament, and not the government, must approve the start of Britain's withdrawal from the European Union. "We will appeal this judgment," said a statement from Prime Minister Theresa May's office. "The country voted to leave the European Union in a referendum approved by Act of Parliament." May had said she intends to use her right of "historic prerogative powers" and begin the formal exit talks by March end, but the latest verdict means the government must conduct a parliamentary vote in order to trigger the Article 50. Most members of the House of Commons campaigned for Britain to stay in the EU in the June referendum, and there is speculation they could push for a softer break with the bloc and the parliamentary vote could delay the Brexit by months. May has accused those involving the court of seeking to frustrate the process and delay the discussions with the EU, which could affect her negotiating stance. The campaigners argue that Britain was taken into the EU by parliament, and only the parliament can make the decision to leave. "This is not about whether we should stay or leave, this is actually about how we leave," Gina Miller, the co-founder of investment fund SCM Private and the lead claimant in the case, told AFP last month. She added: "If we bypass or we set a precedent... that a prime minister can decide what rights we have and what rights we don't, then basically we go back to being a dictatorship and we roll back democracy 400 years." The government is expected to challenge the ruling and appeal to the Supreme Court for final deliberation before the end of the year. (WION with inputs from AFP)

UK parliament must hold vote to open Brexit talks, rules high court

Bank of England governor Mark Carney asserted that he will not be reconsidering his decision to stay at the British central bank until June 2019 on Thursday.

&quot;I don&#39;t think we should reopen these things. We have got enough things to worry about,&quot; he told BBC television. &quot;I don&#39;t think we should give real-time commentary on all these things.&quot;

Carney announced on Monday that he was extending his time at the bank for six years instead of the five that he had agreed to stay initially. He decided not to take up the option of staying for a full eight-year term.

&quot;By taking my term in office beyond the expected period of the Article 50 process (for Britain to leave the EU), this should help contribute to securing an orderly transition to the UK&#39;s new relationship with Europe,&quot; he had said, news ageny Reuters reported.

(With inputs from Reuters)

Carney announced on Monday that he was extending his time at the bank for six years instead of the five that he had originally agreed on

Bank of England governor Mark Carney asserted that he will not be reconsidering his decision to stay at the British central bank until June 2019 on Thursday. "I don't think we should reopen these things. We have got enough things to worry about," he told BBC television. "I don't think we should give real-time commentary on all these things." Carney announced on Monday that he was extending his time at the bank for six years instead of the five that he had agreed to stay initially. He decided not to take up the option of staying for a full eight-year term. "By taking my term in office beyond the expected period of the Article 50 process (for Britain to leave the EU), this should help contribute to securing an orderly transition to the UK's new relationship with Europe," he had said, news ageny Reuters reported. (With inputs from Reuters)

Bank of England governor: Won't rethink decision to leave in 2019

Media speculation was divided Sunday on the fate of the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, with competing claims as to whether he is set to announce his departure amid Brexit tensions.&nbsp;

The Canadian is on a five-year contract that expires in 2018 but has an option to extend the job until 2021, a decision the central bank has said will be made public by the end of this year.

Media reports suggest Carney will not take up the option to stay on, with the Sunday Times newspaper saying he was &quot;disillusioned&quot; with Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s Conservative government.

Carney has been criticised by eurosceptic Conservatives for his warnings of the economic impact of Brexit before the June referendum vote to leave the European Union.

In her speech to her party conference earlier his month, May also appeared to criticise the bank&#39;s policy, saying quantitative easing and low interest rates hurt savers.

But following speculation Carney would be out the door in 2018, the Financial Times late on Sunday reported the governor is &quot;said to be leaning strongly towards staying in his post&quot; until 2021.

&quot;Friends say Carney is determined to defend the Bank of England&#39;s independence in the face of a sustained attack by Brexiters,&quot; the newspaper reported.

Carney told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that any decision would be &quot;entirely personal&quot;.

&quot;No one should read anything into that decision in terms of government policy,&quot; he said.

The job was &quot;an absolute privilege&quot;, he said, but added: &quot;Like everyone I have personal circumstances that I have to manage.

&quot;This is a role that requires total attention, devotion, and I intend to give it for as long as I can. Those are the only factors.&quot;

A bank spokesman declined to comment on the speculation, or on reports that Carney may announce his decision as soon as Thursday.

Business secretary Greg Clark told the BBC on Sunday that Carney&#39;s future at the bank was &quot;a decision for him&quot; but said he had done a &quot;fantastic job&quot;.

(AFP) 
&nbsp;

Reports suggest Carney is leaning towards not extending his tenure after 2018 amid criticism about his approach to Brexit

Media speculation was divided Sunday on the fate of the governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, with competing claims as to whether he is set to announce his departure amid Brexit tensions. The Canadian is on a five-year contract that expires in 2018 but has an option to extend the job until 2021, a decision the central bank has said will be made public by the end of this year. Media reports suggest Carney will not take up the option to stay on, with the Sunday Times newspaper saying he was "disillusioned" with Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservative government. Carney has been criticised by eurosceptic Conservatives for his warnings of the economic impact of Brexit before the June referendum vote to leave the European Union. In her speech to her party conference earlier his month, May also appeared to criticise the bank's policy, saying quantitative easing and low interest rates hurt savers. But following speculation Carney would be out the door in 2018, the Financial Times late on Sunday reported the governor is "said to be leaning strongly towards staying in his post" until 2021. "Friends say Carney is determined to defend the Bank of England's independence in the face of a sustained attack by Brexiters," the newspaper reported. Carney told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that any decision would be "entirely personal". "No one should read anything into that decision in terms of government policy," he said. The job was "an absolute privilege", he said, but added: "Like everyone I have personal circumstances that I have to manage. "This is a role that requires total attention, devotion, and I intend to give it for as long as I can. Those are the only factors." A bank spokesman declined to comment on the speculation, or on reports that Carney may announce his decision as soon as Thursday. Business secretary Greg Clark told the BBC on Sunday that Carney's future at the bank was "a decision for him" but said he had done a "fantastic job". (AFP)

Bank of England's governor undecided on job extension amid Brexit tensions

International banks based in Britain are preparing to relocate some operations out of Britain following the country&#39;s decision to exit the European Union. &nbsp;They have also called for transition arrangements to be put in place after Britain leaves the EU.

Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers&#39; Association, wrote in The Observer newspaper, &quot;Their hands are quivering over the relocate button.&quot; &nbsp;He said that banks based out of UK were lending &pound;1.1 trillion to companies and governments in the rest of the European Union, &quot;keeping the continent afloat financially&quot;.

He also wrote that trade would be impacted if Brexit did not proceed smoothly since free trade in financial services between Britain and Europe was worth more than &pound;20 billion. &quot;The public and political debate is taking us in the wrong direction,&quot; Browne wrote.

He also added that Brexit would impact the banking sector the most other since it formed one of Britain&#39;s biggest export industries and that it was preparing for all eventualities in the face of operational uncertainity across Europe once Brexit happened in 2019.&nbsp;

&quot;Their hands are quivering over the relocate button. Many smaller banks plan to start relocations before Christmas; bigger banks are expected to start in the first quarter of next year. But putting up barriers to the trade in financial services across the Channel will make us all worse off, not just in the UK but in mainland Europe.&quot;

&quot;The problem comes --- as seems increasingly likely, judging by the rhetoric --- when national governments try to use the EU exit negotiations to build walls across the Channel to split Europe&#39;s integrated financial market in two, in order to force jobs from London,&quot; he wrote.

He said it was irrational that the EU wanted to reduce trade barriers with the United States and Canada and impose them on Britain, &quot;their biggest trading partner&quot;.

&quot;Banks might hope for the best but have to plan for the worst,&quot; he wrote, revealing that most international banks would now have project teams in place for determining which operations needed to be moved out to ensure continuity in serving customers.

Browne was optimistic, however, that London would survive as a global financial centre. &quot;Finance is inventive and will find a way through,&quot; he said.

Britain has said it will start negotiations with the EU about its exit between the New Year and the end of March, AFP reported.

(WION with inputs from AFP)

Banks are uncertain about offering services across Europe once Britain leaves the EU

International banks based in Britain are preparing to relocate some operations out of Britain following the country's decision to exit the European Union. They have also called for transition arrangements to be put in place after Britain leaves the EU. Anthony Browne, chief executive of the British Bankers' Association, wrote in The Observer newspaper, "Their hands are quivering over the relocate button." He said that banks based out of UK were lending £1.1 trillion to companies and governments in the rest of the European Union, "keeping the continent afloat financially". He also wrote that trade would be impacted if Brexit did not proceed smoothly since free trade in financial services between Britain and Europe was worth more than £20 billion. "The public and political debate is taking us in the wrong direction," Browne wrote. He also added that Brexit would impact the banking sector the most other since it formed one of Britain's biggest export industries and that it was preparing for all eventualities in the face of operational uncertainity across Europe once Brexit happened in 2019. "Their hands are quivering over the relocate button. Many smaller banks plan to start relocations before Christmas; bigger banks are expected to start in the first quarter of next year. But putting up barriers to the trade in financial services across the Channel will make us all worse off, not just in the UK but in mainland Europe." "The problem comes --- as seems increasingly likely, judging by the rhetoric --- when national governments try to use the EU exit negotiations to build walls across the Channel to split Europe's integrated financial market in two, in order to force jobs from London," he wrote. He said it was irrational that the EU wanted to reduce trade barriers with the United States and Canada and impose them on Britain, "their biggest trading partner". "Banks might hope for the best but have to plan for the worst," he wrote, revealing that most international banks would now have project teams in place for determining which operations needed to be moved out to ensure continuity in serving customers. Browne was optimistic, however, that London would survive as a global financial centre. "Finance is inventive and will find a way through," he said. Britain has said it will start negotiations with the EU about its exit between the New Year and the end of March, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from AFP)

International banks readying to leave Britain after Brexit decision

Britain&#39;s jobless rate held at 4.9 percent in the three months to the end of August, official data showed Wednesday, signalling little impact thus far from the shock Brexit vote.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the June-August rate -- a low for 11 years -- matched the 4.9-percent figure for the three-month period that ended in July.

The nation&#39;s jobless total meanwhile stood at 1.66 million people over the same period. That was 118,000 fewer than a year earlier.&nbsp;

&quot;All in all this (data) suggests that Brexit has hardly had any measurable impact on the UK labour market yet,&quot; noted economist Kay Daniel Neufeld, at the Centre for Economics and Business Research think tank.

&quot;Unemployment has been low throughout the year and wages continue to grow at a subdued but steady rate.&quot;

British Prime Minister Theresa May has already stated that she will trigger the two-year process to exit the European Union by the end of March 2017, after the surprise approval of the Brexit referendum on June 23.

Commentators also warn that the jobless rate could head higher before the end of this year.

&quot;We suspect both the economy and the labour market will be increasingly pressurised by mounting uncertainties over the coming months -- particularly once the government triggers Article 50,&quot; said IHS Markit economist Howard Archer.

&quot;We also expect growth to slow as consumer purchasing power is increasingly squeezed.

&quot;Consequently, we see the unemployment rate starting to trend up before too long and suspect that it could reach 5.0 percent by the end of 2016.&quot;

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, British building materials supplier Travis Perkins said that up to 600 jobs were at risk from the uncertain economic outlook arising from Brexit. 
&nbsp;

(AFP)

UK's jobless rate stood at 4.9% in three months to end of August, signalling little impact from the shock of Brexit vote

Britain's jobless rate held at 4.9 percent in the three months to the end of August, official data showed Wednesday, signalling little impact thus far from the shock Brexit vote. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the June-August rate -- a low for 11 years -- matched the 4.9-percent figure for the three-month period that ended in July. The nation's jobless total meanwhile stood at 1.66 million people over the same period. That was 118,000 fewer than a year earlier. "All in all this (data) suggests that Brexit has hardly had any measurable impact on the UK labour market yet," noted economist Kay Daniel Neufeld, at the Centre for Economics and Business Research think tank. "Unemployment has been low throughout the year and wages continue to grow at a subdued but steady rate." British Prime Minister Theresa May has already stated that she will trigger the two-year process to exit the European Union by the end of March 2017, after the surprise approval of the Brexit referendum on June 23. Commentators also warn that the jobless rate could head higher before the end of this year. "We suspect both the economy and the labour market will be increasingly pressurised by mounting uncertainties over the coming months -- particularly once the government triggers Article 50," said IHS Markit economist Howard Archer. "We also expect growth to slow as consumer purchasing power is increasingly squeezed. "Consequently, we see the unemployment rate starting to trend up before too long and suspect that it could reach 5.0 percent by the end of 2016." Meanwhile, on Wednesday, British building materials supplier Travis Perkins said that up to 600 jobs were at risk from the uncertain economic outlook arising from Brexit. (AFP)

Despite Brexit, Britain unemployment rate at 11-year low

Republican Party&#39;s presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the European Union (EU) was created to beat the United States (US) in terms of making money. 
 
In an interview with NBC News, Trump while commenting on the EU said, &quot;The reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States.&quot; 
 
&quot;The EU was founded in 1952 in an effort to promote strong cross-border ties in Europe and avoid future wars.Since then, it has evolved to a customs union and eventually to the transnational entity devoted to removing internal trade barriers, building a common market and a fiscal union&#39;&#39;, reports the Guardian. 
 
The New York billionaire&#39;s anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. 
 
Trump defended his recent remarks on NATO, saying the countries in the organisation need to pay more to the US so that Washington meets its treaty obligations of mutual defence. 
 
He also called both the World Trade Organization and Nafta &quot;disasters&quot;. On his call to ban the people in the US from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism, he said that it was an expansion on his infamous Muslim ban of December 2015. 
 
&quot;I actually don&#39;t think it&#39;s a rollback. In fact, you could say it&#39;s an expansion. I&#39;m looking now at territory. People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can&#39;t use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I&#39;m okay with that, because I&#39;m talking territory instead of Muslim,&quot; he added. 
 
Trump also confirmed reports that he would seek revenge against former presidential nominee rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz. 
 
He said that he would do it by funding a super Political Action Committee (PAC) in the 2018 cycle to help defeat their respective attempts to win the gubernatorial election in Ohio and US senate election in Texas. 
 
(ANI)&nbsp;

The New York billionaire's anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit

Republican Party's presidential nominee Donald Trump has claimed that the European Union (EU) was created to beat the United States (US) in terms of making money. In an interview with NBC News, Trump while commenting on the EU said, "The reason that it got together was like a consortium so that it could compete with the United States." "The EU was founded in 1952 in an effort to promote strong cross-border ties in Europe and avoid future wars.Since then, it has evolved to a customs union and eventually to the transnational entity devoted to removing internal trade barriers, building a common market and a fiscal union'', reports the Guardian. The New York billionaire's anti-European statements come after he repeatedly praised Brexit, the vote by the United Kingdom to leave the European Union. Trump defended his recent remarks on NATO, saying the countries in the organisation need to pay more to the US so that Washington meets its treaty obligations of mutual defence. He also called both the World Trade Organization and Nafta "disasters". On his call to ban the people in the US from any nation that has been compromised by terrorism, he said that it was an expansion on his infamous Muslim ban of December 2015. "I actually don't think it's a rollback. In fact, you could say it's an expansion. I'm looking now at territory. People were so upset when I used the word Muslim. Oh, you can't use the word Muslim. Remember this. And I'm okay with that, because I'm talking territory instead of Muslim," he added. Trump also confirmed reports that he would seek revenge against former presidential nominee rivals John Kasich and Ted Cruz. He said that he would do it by funding a super Political Action Committee (PAC) in the 2018 cycle to help defeat their respective attempts to win the gubernatorial election in Ohio and US senate election in Texas. (ANI)

EU formed to beat US at making money, says Donald Trump

US presidential candidate Donald Trump, thrusting himself into the heart of Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union, drew parallels on Friday to his own campaign to limit illegal immigration and build a wall at the US border with Mexico. 
 
In Scotland to reopen a golf resort he owns, the wealthy New York businessman told a news conference: &ldquo;People really see a big parallel. A lot of people are talking about that, and not only the United States but other countries.&rdquo; 
 
&quot;People want to take their country back. They want to have independence in a sense. You see it with Europe, all over Europe,&quot; said Trump, 70, the presumptive Republican nominee in the November 8 US presidential election. 
 
&quot;You&#39;re going to have many other cases where they want to take their borders back ... they want to take a lot of things back. They want to be able to have a country again.&nbsp;So I think you&#39;re going to have this happen more and more. I really believe that, and I think that it&rsquo;s happening in the United States. It&#39;s happening by the fact that I&#39;ve done so well in the polls.&rdquo; 
 
Trump arrived in his signature helicopter at Turnberry near his clubhouse resort, a Scottish flag blowing in the wind. He said the vote was a setback also to US President Barack Obama, a Democrat who had urged Britons to stay in the EU. 
 
&quot;I think it&#39;s something he shouldn&#39;t have done. It&#39;s not his country. It&#39;s not his part of the world. He shouldn&#39;t have done it. And I actually think that his recommendation perhaps caused it to fail,&quot; Trump said. 
 
Weeks ago Trump said he would be inclined to leave the EU. On Friday he told reporters: &quot;I said this was going to happen and I think that it&#39;s a great thing.&quot; 
 
Trump had exchanged insults with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who supported staying in the EU and said on Friday after the vote he would resign by October. Cameron had called Trump&#39;s anti-immigrant policy ideas divisive and wrong. 
 
More than half a million Britons signed a petition earlier this year to bar Trump from entering Britain, where he has business interests, in response to his call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States. 
 
British lawmakers decided against a ban as a violation of free speech.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

'I said this was going to happen and I think that it's a great thing,' says Trump

US presidential candidate Donald Trump, thrusting himself into the heart of Britain's vote to leave the European Union, drew parallels on Friday to his own campaign to limit illegal immigration and build a wall at the US border with Mexico. In Scotland to reopen a golf resort he owns, the wealthy New York businessman told a news conference: “People really see a big parallel. A lot of people are talking about that, and not only the United States but other countries.” "People want to take their country back. They want to have independence in a sense. You see it with Europe, all over Europe," said Trump, 70, the presumptive Republican nominee in the November 8 US presidential election. "You're going to have many other cases where they want to take their borders back ... they want to take a lot of things back. They want to be able to have a country again. So I think you're going to have this happen more and more. I really believe that, and I think that it’s happening in the United States. It's happening by the fact that I've done so well in the polls.” Trump arrived in his signature helicopter at Turnberry near his clubhouse resort, a Scottish flag blowing in the wind. He said the vote was a setback also to US President Barack Obama, a Democrat who had urged Britons to stay in the EU. "I think it's something he shouldn't have done. It's not his country. It's not his part of the world. He shouldn't have done it. And I actually think that his recommendation perhaps caused it to fail," Trump said. Weeks ago Trump said he would be inclined to leave the EU. On Friday he told reporters: "I said this was going to happen and I think that it's a great thing." Trump had exchanged insults with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who supported staying in the EU and said on Friday after the vote he would resign by October. Cameron had called Trump's anti-immigrant policy ideas divisive and wrong. More than half a million Britons signed a petition earlier this year to bar Trump from entering Britain, where he has business interests, in response to his call to temporarily ban Muslims from entering the United States. British lawmakers decided against a ban as a violation of free speech. (Reuters)

Donald Trump draws comparison between Brexit and his campaign

All European Union&nbsp;citizens currently living in Britain will be able to stay after Brexit, a newspaper reported on Saturday citing unnamed cabinet ministers, despite the government&#39;s refusal to publicly guarantee their status.

Official research suggests that more than 80 per cent of the 3.6 million EU citizens living in Britain would be eligible for residency by the time Britain is expected to leave the European Union in 2019, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Under plans being drawn up by the interior ministry, the remainder would be offered some kind of amnesty involving the right to permanently stay in Britain, it said.

Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has said she &quot;fully expects&quot; to be able to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to stay in Britain, but said it was dependent on the rights accorded to Britons living elsewhere in the EU.

Earlier this week, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox repeated her position, and said that their fate was part of Britain&#39;s negotiating hand.

&quot;To give that away before we get into the negotiation would be to hand over one of our main cards in that negotiation and doesn&#39;t necessarily make sense at this point,&quot; he told a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference.

After a referendum campaign fought on the issue of control over EU migration, the conference was dominated by tough talk on immigration, including proposals to make firms declare foreign workers, which were widely condemned.

May has said she intends to begin the two-year Brexit process by March 2017, putting Britain on course to end its membership of the EU by early 2019. 
&nbsp;

(AFP)

Official research suggests that more than 80% of the EU citizens would be eligible for residency by the time Britain leaves EU in 2019

All European Union citizens currently living in Britain will be able to stay after Brexit, a newspaper reported on Saturday citing unnamed cabinet ministers, despite the government's refusal to publicly guarantee their status. Official research suggests that more than 80 per cent of the 3.6 million EU citizens living in Britain would be eligible for residency by the time Britain is expected to leave the European Union in 2019, the Daily Telegraph reported. Under plans being drawn up by the interior ministry, the remainder would be offered some kind of amnesty involving the right to permanently stay in Britain, it said. Conservative Prime Minister Theresa May has said she "fully expects" to be able to guarantee the rights of EU citizens to stay in Britain, but said it was dependent on the rights accorded to Britons living elsewhere in the EU. Earlier this week, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox repeated her position, and said that their fate was part of Britain's negotiating hand. "To give that away before we get into the negotiation would be to hand over one of our main cards in that negotiation and doesn't necessarily make sense at this point," he told a fringe meeting at the Conservative party conference. After a referendum campaign fought on the issue of control over EU migration, the conference was dominated by tough talk on immigration, including proposals to make firms declare foreign workers, which were widely condemned. May has said she intends to begin the two-year Brexit process by March 2017, putting Britain on course to end its membership of the EU by early 2019. (AFP)

Britain 'will allow EU citizens to stay' after Brexit: Media report

Britain&#39;s shock decision to leave the European Union will not be as damaging to developing Asian&nbsp;economies as feared, the World Bank said on Wednesday as it increased its growth forecast for the region this year.&nbsp;Countries in the Mekong region led by Myanmar are projected to expand at the fastest pace in the next three years, the bank said in an updated report on East Asia and the Pacific, though Thailand was projected to be a laggard.

World Bank chief Asia economist Sudhir Shetty said the upgrade for the regional economy came after the group noticed positive early results from the June 23 vote by Britain to leave the EU.&nbsp;&quot;That has translated also into relative stability in terms of exchange rates and in terms of capital flows, so that has been helpful for this region,&quot; he told Asia-based journalists in a video conference from Washington.

Global markets went into freefall immediately after the vote as dealers feared a recession in Britain that could hit the global economy. But since then, world markets have rallied and Britain&#39;s economy is picking up.&nbsp;Shetty said based on the bank&#39;s initial analysis &quot;the bottom line right now is that there&#39;s likely to be very little impact of Brexit&quot; over the short term, as the region is &quot;not very connected&quot; to Britain in terms of trade and financial links.

The region&#39;s developing economies will grow 5.8 per cent this year, the Washington-based institution said, up 0.1 percentage point from its forecast made in April. It also tipped 5.7 per cent growth in 2017 and 2018.

The bank, however, warned a hike in US interest rates, widely expected in December, and a potential sharp slowdown in China could impact its forecast.

Myanmar, which has embraced democracy following decades of military rule, will grow 7.8 per cent this year, 8.4 per cent in 2017 and 8.3 per cent in 2018.&nbsp;Once isolated Myanmar has rapidly transformed itself into one of the world&#39;s fastest growing economies since its once brutal junta handed power to a reformist government in 2010, sparking the lifting of most international sanctions and a flood of foreign investment.

The impoverished nation has boasted average growth rates above eight per cent the past five years.&nbsp;However, while the World Bank report noted stronger-than-expected growth in Thailand during the first half of 2016 it added that &quot;a broad-based and self-sustaining recovery has yet to take hold.&quot; It projected 3.1 per cent expansion for 2016, up from 2.8 per cent last year.

Thailand&#39;s economy has struggled with years of political instability since the military seised power in 2014.

(AFP)

Countries in the Mekong region led by Myanmar are projected to expand at the fastest pace in the next three years, the bank said

Britain's shock decision to leave the European Union will not be as damaging to developing Asian economies as feared, the World Bank said on Wednesday as it increased its growth forecast for the region this year. Countries in the Mekong region led by Myanmar are projected to expand at the fastest pace in the next three years, the bank said in an updated report on East Asia and the Pacific, though Thailand was projected to be a laggard. World Bank chief Asia economist Sudhir Shetty said the upgrade for the regional economy came after the group noticed positive early results from the June 23 vote by Britain to leave the EU. "That has translated also into relative stability in terms of exchange rates and in terms of capital flows, so that has been helpful for this region," he told Asia-based journalists in a video conference from Washington. Global markets went into freefall immediately after the vote as dealers feared a recession in Britain that could hit the global economy. But since then, world markets have rallied and Britain's economy is picking up. Shetty said based on the bank's initial analysis "the bottom line right now is that there's likely to be very little impact of Brexit" over the short term, as the region is "not very connected" to Britain in terms of trade and financial links. The region's developing economies will grow 5.8 per cent this year, the Washington-based institution said, up 0.1 percentage point from its forecast made in April. It also tipped 5.7 per cent growth in 2017 and 2018. The bank, however, warned a hike in US interest rates, widely expected in December, and a potential sharp slowdown in China could impact its forecast. Myanmar, which has embraced democracy following decades of military rule, will grow 7.8 per cent this year, 8.4 per cent in 2017 and 8.3 per cent in 2018. Once isolated Myanmar has rapidly transformed itself into one of the world's fastest growing economies since its once brutal junta handed power to a reformist government in 2010, sparking the lifting of most international sanctions and a flood of foreign investment. The impoverished nation has boasted average growth rates above eight per cent the past five years. However, while the World Bank report noted stronger-than-expected growth in Thailand during the first half of 2016 it added that "a broad-based and self-sustaining recovery has yet to take hold." It projected 3.1 per cent expansion for 2016, up from 2.8 per cent last year. Thailand's economy has struggled with years of political instability since the military seised power in 2014. (AFP)

World Bank predicts Brexit won't impact developing Asian economies as feared

Britain will want to keep some European Union laws, including on workers` rights and the environment, once it has left the bloc, transport minister and leading Brexit campaigner Chris Grayling said on Sunday.

The government has said it will next year repeal the 1972 act that took Britain into what is now the EU. It will then transpose EU law into British law before deciding on what to keep.

&quot;There`s some things we`ll want to keep: in the area of the environment, for example, in the area of workers` rights. There are other things that we`ll want to get rid of,&quot; Grayling told ITV.

Grayling said the Great Repeal Bill would go through Britain`s parliament between May 2017 and May 2018.

(Reuters)

The government has said it will next year repeal the 1972 act that took Britain into what is now the EU

Britain will want to keep some European Union laws, including on workers` rights and the environment, once it has left the bloc, transport minister and leading Brexit campaigner Chris Grayling said on Sunday. The government has said it will next year repeal the 1972 act that took Britain into what is now the EU. It will then transpose EU law into British law before deciding on what to keep. "There`s some things we`ll want to keep: in the area of the environment, for example, in the area of workers` rights. There are other things that we`ll want to get rid of," Grayling told ITV. Grayling said the Great Repeal Bill would go through Britain`s parliament between May 2017 and May 2018. (Reuters)

Britain to retain some EU laws after Brexit: Minister

Britain has a lot of work to do before it can exit the European Union (EU) but once it triggers a formal divorce from the EU, the process cannot be dragged on, Britain&#39;s foreign minister Boris Johnson said&nbsp;on Sunday. 
 
&quot;We&#39;ve got to do a lot of work to get our ducks in order,&quot; Johnson told Andy Marr on BBC1&#39;s The Andrew Marr Show. 
 
Johnson suggested last week that Britain would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which would allow Britain to exit from EU early next year. However, Prime Minister Theresa May&#39;s aides have continually said the formal procedure would only start next year. 
 
But some lawmakers and government officials say the government&nbsp;has&nbsp;not had time to form a clear negotiating stance and that, by triggering proceedings too early,&nbsp;Britain&nbsp;may land a poor deal,&nbsp;Reuters said. 
 
Britons voted to leave the EU bloc in a historic referendum in June. 
 
Jeremy Corbyn, who was re-elected as leader of Britain&#39;s main opposition Labour Party&nbsp;on Saturday, said the parliament should be involved in the Brexit process. 
 
&quot;This is a huge political issue, it&#39;s the most significant economic issue facing Britain in my or your lifetime and I think at the very least parliament should be fully informed,&quot; Jeremy Corbyn told BBC&#39;s Andrew Marr. 
 
Stephen Booth, co-director of the Open Europe think-tank, said it was likely that Brexit would end up being a gradual withdrawal from different aspects of the UK&#39;s entanglements with the EU, rather than a single &quot;big bang&quot; event, RT? news reported. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

London is under pressure from EU members and millions of Britons who voted for Brexit in the referendum to start the divorce process soon

Britain has a lot of work to do before it can exit the European Union (EU) but once it triggers a formal divorce from the EU, the process cannot be dragged on, Britain's foreign minister Boris Johnson said on Sunday. "We've got to do a lot of work to get our ducks in order," Johnson told Andy Marr on BBC1's The Andrew Marr Show. Johnson suggested last week that Britain would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty which would allow Britain to exit from EU early next year. However, Prime Minister Theresa May's aides have continually said the formal procedure would only start next year. But some lawmakers and government officials say the government has not had time to form a clear negotiating stance and that, by triggering proceedings too early, Britain may land a poor deal, Reuters said. Britons voted to leave the EU bloc in a historic referendum in June. Jeremy Corbyn, who was re-elected as leader of Britain's main opposition Labour Party on Saturday, said the parliament should be involved in the Brexit process. "This is a huge political issue, it's the most significant economic issue facing Britain in my or your lifetime and I think at the very least parliament should be fully informed," Jeremy Corbyn told BBC's Andrew Marr. Stephen Booth, co-director of the Open Europe think-tank, said it was likely that Brexit would end up being a gradual withdrawal from different aspects of the UK's entanglements with the EU, rather than a single "big bang" event, RT? news reported. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Britain has lot to do before triggering EU divorce: Boris Johnson

Britain&#39;s foreign secretary Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that Britain has plans to trigger Article 50, the formal process for leaving the European Union (EU), early next year.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We are talking to our European friends and partners in the expectation that by the early part of next year, you will see an Article 50 letter. We will invoke that,&quot; he told Britain&#39;s Sky News television in New York. 
 
Theresa May&#39;s Downing Street office, however, denied Johnson&#39;s comments. 
 
&quot;The government&#39;s position has not changed. We will not trigger Article 50 before the end of 2016 and we are using this time to prepare for the negotiations,&quot; a spokesman told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
Europe minister Alan Duncan said he did not believe Johnson really wanted Britain to leave the EU at all, AFP reported. 
 
&quot;I&#39;ve always thought that Boris&#39; wish was to lose by one (vote) so that he could be the heir apparent,&quot; without having to deal with &quot;clearing up all the mess&quot;, Duncan told the BBC. 
 
Johnson has also reportedly denied suggestions that Britain would have to continue allowing free movement of people with EU if it wanted access to the European single market.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;They would have us believe that there is some automatic trade-off between what they call access to the single market and free movement. Complete baloney. Absolute baloney,&quot; &nbsp;AFP quoted him as saying.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The two things have nothing to do with each other. We should go for a jumbo free-trade deal and take back control of our immigration policy.&quot; 
 
Johnson said that even after Brexit the country would continue to play a role in pan-European defence and security measures.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;We will continue to be a participant in common European defence discussions, security, foreign policy, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and all that kind of thing,&quot; he said. 
 
On Thursday, May met &nbsp;was meeting with Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, who has urged her to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible. 
 
&quot;The European Parliament favours the earliest possible triggering of Article 50,&quot; he said, AFP reported. 
 
 
(WION with inputs from AFP)

Europe minister Alan Duncan said he did not believe that Johnson really wanted Britain to leave the EU at all

Britain's foreign secretary Boris Johnson announced on Thursday that Britain has plans to trigger Article 50, the formal process for leaving the European Union (EU), early next year. "We are talking to our European friends and partners in the expectation that by the early part of next year, you will see an Article 50 letter. We will invoke that," he told Britain's Sky News television in New York. Theresa May's Downing Street office, however, denied Johnson's comments. "The government's position has not changed. We will not trigger Article 50 before the end of 2016 and we are using this time to prepare for the negotiations," a spokesman told AFP. Europe minister Alan Duncan said he did not believe Johnson really wanted Britain to leave the EU at all, AFP reported. "I've always thought that Boris' wish was to lose by one (vote) so that he could be the heir apparent," without having to deal with "clearing up all the mess", Duncan told the BBC. Johnson has also reportedly denied suggestions that Britain would have to continue allowing free movement of people with EU if it wanted access to the European single market. "They would have us believe that there is some automatic trade-off between what they call access to the single market and free movement. Complete baloney. Absolute baloney," AFP quoted him as saying. "The two things have nothing to do with each other. We should go for a jumbo free-trade deal and take back control of our immigration policy." Johnson said that even after Brexit the country would continue to play a role in pan-European defence and security measures. "We will continue to be a participant in common European defence discussions, security, foreign policy, counter-terrorism, intelligence sharing and all that kind of thing," he said. On Thursday, May met was meeting with Martin Schulz, the president of the European Parliament, who has urged her to trigger Article 50 as soon as possible. "The European Parliament favours the earliest possible triggering of Article 50," he said, AFP reported. (WION with inputs from AFP)

Boris Johnson claims UK will trigger EU exit process early next year, Downing Street denies

Sentiment at Asian companies edged up to its highest level in five quarters in July-September, boosted by signs that China&#39;s economy is stabilising and as concerns about Britain&#39;s move to exit the European Union recede, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed. 
 
But businesses cited the policy uncertainty from a potential victory for US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as well as energy prices as key risks. 
 
The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index, representing the six-month outlook at 118 firms, was 68 in the third quarter against 67 three months prior - marking the third consecutive quarterly gain from a four-year low in December. A reading over 50 indicates a positive view. 
 
&quot;The risks in China look more manageable. Brexit has not yet resulted into a full-blown crisis so there is a hope that it will be contained,&quot; said Antonio Fatas, a Singapore-based economics professor at INSEAD. 
 
The index started in 2009 with an all-time low of 45, but has largely hovered between 60 and 70 in the years since then. 
 
China, the world&#39;s second-biggest economy, had a subindex of 90, its highest since the first quarter of 2011. Four of five respondents in China rated their six-month business outlook as positive, while one was neutral. 
 
China&#39;s factory output and retail sales grew faster than expected in August buoyed by a strong housing market and a government infrastructure spending spree, suggesting the country&#39;s third-quarter growth is holding up better than expected. 
 
Australia, a major supplier of resources to China, saw this quarter&#39;s biggest gain in sentiment, with a 19-point jump in its subindex to 88, as the economy expanded at its fastest annual pace in four years in the second quarter. 
 
Singapore was this quarter&#39;s steepest decliner, with a 25-point slump in its subindex to 38. Singapore&#39;s exports in August stagnated, adding to concerns for the city-state which has been hurt by the tumble in oil prices and last month cut its economic growth forecast. 
 
In contrast, companies in the Philippines were the most optimistic for a fifth straight quarter, with a subindex of 94, due to strong economic growth in the Southeast Asian nation. 
 
South Korea and Japan posted a neutral index of 50 each, with business sentiment dropping from 73 in the case of Korea and climbing from 46 for Japan. &nbsp; 
 
A Trump US presidency and energy prices were most often cited as the biggest business risks for the firms, with 15 of 114 responses each, followed by China&rsquo;s rising corporate debt at 14. 
 
&quot;Yes, Trump represents a risk,&quot; said INSEAD&#39;s Fatas, adding these included geopolitical risk and a lack of concrete economic proposals. 
 
Sector outlooks 
 
Other risks cited by the survey respondents included sluggish consumer sentiment with eight mentions while seven firms cited foreign exchange volatility. 
 
The latest poll, conducted September 1 through Sepember 17, showed 49 per cent of respondents had a positive outlook - the highest in nearly two years. Thirty eight per cent were neutral while 13 per cent were negative. 
 
By sector, sentiment rose the most in the real estate sector, with a subindex climbing 12 points to 75, making it among the top performers. 
 
The biggest decliner was the retail and leisure sector, with its reading falling 14 points to 68. 
 
The construction &amp; engineering sector remained the most downbeat, with a reading of 58. But the mood was bright in South Korea, where construction began on a record 720,000 new residential units last year. 
 
&quot;We expect construction materials to boom until next year as the construction market has been experiencing a strong demand last year and this year&quot;, a leading South Korean construction materials maker, said in an emailed statement. 
 
Respondents who agreed to be identified included Oil Search, Hero MotoCorp, Hitachi, Kossan Rubber, Philippine National Bank, and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering. 
 
(Reuters) 
 
 
&nbsp;

But business cited policy uncertainty from a possible win for Donald Trump as well as energy prices as key risks

Sentiment at Asian companies edged up to its highest level in five quarters in July-September, boosted by signs that China's economy is stabilising and as concerns about Britain's move to exit the European Union recede, a Thomson Reuters/INSEAD survey showed. But businesses cited the policy uncertainty from a potential victory for US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, as well as energy prices as key risks. The Thomson Reuters/INSEAD Asian Business Sentiment Index, representing the six-month outlook at 118 firms, was 68 in the third quarter against 67 three months prior - marking the third consecutive quarterly gain from a four-year low in December. A reading over 50 indicates a positive view. "The risks in China look more manageable. Brexit has not yet resulted into a full-blown crisis so there is a hope that it will be contained," said Antonio Fatas, a Singapore-based economics professor at INSEAD. The index started in 2009 with an all-time low of 45, but has largely hovered between 60 and 70 in the years since then. China, the world's second-biggest economy, had a subindex of 90, its highest since the first quarter of 2011. Four of five respondents in China rated their six-month business outlook as positive, while one was neutral. China's factory output and retail sales grew faster than expected in August buoyed by a strong housing market and a government infrastructure spending spree, suggesting the country's third-quarter growth is holding up better than expected. Australia, a major supplier of resources to China, saw this quarter's biggest gain in sentiment, with a 19-point jump in its subindex to 88, as the economy expanded at its fastest annual pace in four years in the second quarter. Singapore was this quarter's steepest decliner, with a 25-point slump in its subindex to 38. Singapore's exports in August stagnated, adding to concerns for the city-state which has been hurt by the tumble in oil prices and last month cut its economic growth forecast. In contrast, companies in the Philippines were the most optimistic for a fifth straight quarter, with a subindex of 94, due to strong economic growth in the Southeast Asian nation. South Korea and Japan posted a neutral index of 50 each, with business sentiment dropping from 73 in the case of Korea and climbing from 46 for Japan. A Trump US presidency and energy prices were most often cited as the biggest business risks for the firms, with 15 of 114 responses each, followed by China’s rising corporate debt at 14. "Yes, Trump represents a risk," said INSEAD's Fatas, adding these included geopolitical risk and a lack of concrete economic proposals. Sector outlooks Other risks cited by the survey respondents included sluggish consumer sentiment with eight mentions while seven firms cited foreign exchange volatility. The latest poll, conducted September 1 through Sepember 17, showed 49 per cent of respondents had a positive outlook - the highest in nearly two years. Thirty eight per cent were neutral while 13 per cent were negative. By sector, sentiment rose the most in the real estate sector, with a subindex climbing 12 points to 75, making it among the top performers. The biggest decliner was the retail and leisure sector, with its reading falling 14 points to 68. The construction & engineering sector remained the most downbeat, with a reading of 58. But the mood was bright in South Korea, where construction began on a record 720,000 new residential units last year. "We expect construction materials to boom until next year as the construction market has been experiencing a strong demand last year and this year", a leading South Korean construction materials maker, said in an emailed statement. Respondents who agreed to be identified included Oil Search, Hero MotoCorp, Hitachi, Kossan Rubber, Philippine National Bank, and Advanced Semiconductor Engineering. (Reuters)

Asia sentiment hits five-quarter high as China, Brexit worries ease - survey

Senior members of Britain&#39;s ruling Conservative Party are supporting a new group to push Britain for a &#39;hard Brexit&#39;, media reported&nbsp;on Sunday. 
 
Property investor Richard Tice told the&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;Telegraph, &#39;&#39;No deal is better than a bad deal.&quot; He said that leaving the European Union and its single market without an alternative deal is better than staying and signing a bad deal. 
 
Tice said&nbsp;the&nbsp;Britons had clearly&nbsp;voted in June to leave the European Union (EU)&nbsp;and &#39;the sooner we leave the more certainty and confidence for everyone&#39;. 
 
&quot;Working people will hope Number 10 rejects this approach and instead seeks membership of the single market, which is vital for jobs and growth,&quot; Conservative lawmaker and supporter of Open Britain, Anna Soubry, said in a statement. 
 
The group had the backing of a former justice minister, Dominic Raab, and other leading Conservatives, the&nbsp;Sunday&nbsp;Telegraph reported. 
 
&#39;Change Britain&#39;, a group including people who were in the Leave campaign, was launched last week and endorsed by foreign&nbsp;secretary Borish Johnson. 
 
May, who was appointed prime minister shortly after the referendum, is expected to trigger&nbsp;Article 50 which would start the process of Brexit&nbsp;early next year. She has said that she needed time&nbsp;to form an exit policy. 
 
The divisions in the Conservative Party over how to negotiate the Brexit are coming to the fore as some within the party&nbsp;push for a soft process while others want a clean speedy&nbsp;break from the EU. 
 
Nicky Morgan, a Conservative former education secretary, said that splits in the ruling party&nbsp;was &quot;absolutely inevitable&quot;. 
 
&quot;Well it was absolutely inevitable that there were going to those on the &#39;leave&#39; side of the debate who would say that any government is not going to go hard enough and fast enough and would set up a group to do that,&quot; she told ITV&#39;s Peston&nbsp;on Sunday&nbsp;programme. She said that the government needed to say &#39;this is what the plan is, this is where we want to get to&#39;. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters)

The new group, called Leave means Leave, is urging the British government to sever all ties with the European Union swiftly

Senior members of Britain's ruling Conservative Party are supporting a new group to push Britain for a 'hard Brexit', media reported on Sunday. Property investor Richard Tice told the Sunday Telegraph, ''No deal is better than a bad deal." He said that leaving the European Union and its single market without an alternative deal is better than staying and signing a bad deal. Tice said the Britons had clearly voted in June to leave the European Union (EU) and 'the sooner we leave the more certainty and confidence for everyone'. "Working people will hope Number 10 rejects this approach and instead seeks membership of the single market, which is vital for jobs and growth," Conservative lawmaker and supporter of Open Britain, Anna Soubry, said in a statement. The group had the backing of a former justice minister, Dominic Raab, and other leading Conservatives, the Sunday Telegraph reported. 'Change Britain', a group including people who were in the Leave campaign, was launched last week and endorsed by foreign secretary Borish Johnson. May, who was appointed prime minister shortly after the referendum, is expected to trigger Article 50 which would start the process of Brexit early next year. She has said that she needed time to form an exit policy. The divisions in the Conservative Party over how to negotiate the Brexit are coming to the fore as some within the party push for a soft process while others want a clean speedy break from the EU. Nicky Morgan, a Conservative former education secretary, said that splits in the ruling party was "absolutely inevitable". "Well it was absolutely inevitable that there were going to those on the 'leave' side of the debate who would say that any government is not going to go hard enough and fast enough and would set up a group to do that," she told ITV's Peston on Sunday programme. She said that the government needed to say 'this is what the plan is, this is where we want to get to'. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

UK lawmakers in ruling party back group pushing for 'hard Brexit'

British Prime Minister Theresa May might launch formal negotiations for Brexit in January-February next year, European Council president Donald Tusk said on Friday, citing a recent talk with May. 
 
May has refrained from giving any formal notification this year and there is ambiguity over how her government will initiate the process. which would set in motion a two-year countdown to Britain&#39;s exit. 
 
&quot;Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me,&quot; Tusk said talking about his visit to London on September 8.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;She declared it&#39;s almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it&#39;s quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January, maybe in February next year.&quot; 
 
EU leaders are waiting to hear from May on what she wants. 
 
&quot;Our British colleagues need more time to prepare themselves for these negotiations,&quot; he told reporters. 
 
&quot;We are well prepared for these negotiations and we could in fact start these procedures even tomorrow,&quot; he added, saying that the EU&#39;s goal was &quot;the closest possible future relations&quot; with Britain while negotiating in the interests of the bloc. 
 
Divided EU struggles 
 
A meeting was held on Friday in the Slovak capital of Bratislava with the 27 other EU members &nbsp;and a six-month &quot;road map&quot; designed to bring back public confidence in the union was unveiled.&nbsp; 
 
But unity was shadowed as many leaders including &nbsp;Italy`s Matteo Renzi and Hungary`s Viktor Orban, did not agree with&nbsp;the conclusions once the meeting ended. 
 
&quot;I`m not satisfied with the (summit) conclusions on growth or on immigration,&quot; said Renzi. 
 
According to Reuters, Renzi was miffed at being excluded from a joint news conference given by Germany`s Angela Merkel and France`s Francois Hollande at the end of the summit. 
 
&quot;To define as a step forward today`s document on migrants would require a form of fantasy, a verbal high-wire act,&quot; the Italian Prime Minister added. 
 
Orban ,meanwhile, criticised&nbsp;Merkel for refusing to agree to a cap on the number of migrants entering Europe, calling her pro-refugee stance &quot;self-destructive and naive&quot;. 
 
But people eye-witnesses to the summit said that Orban and Renzi did not raise serious complaints with other leaders during the talks.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;This is clearly about domestic politics,&quot; a senior official said told Reuters. 
 
(WION with inputs from Reuters) 
 
 
&nbsp;

Donald Tusk had visited London on September 8 to hold post-Brexit talks with British PM Theresa May

British Prime Minister Theresa May might launch formal negotiations for Brexit in January-February next year, European Council president Donald Tusk said on Friday, citing a recent talk with May. May has refrained from giving any formal notification this year and there is ambiguity over how her government will initiate the process. which would set in motion a two-year countdown to Britain's exit. "Prime Minister May was very open and honest with me," Tusk said talking about his visit to London on September 8. "She declared it's almost impossible to trigger Article 50 this year but it's quite likely that they will be ready maybe in January, maybe in February next year." EU leaders are waiting to hear from May on what she wants. "Our British colleagues need more time to prepare themselves for these negotiations," he told reporters. "We are well prepared for these negotiations and we could in fact start these procedures even tomorrow," he added, saying that the EU's goal was "the closest possible future relations" with Britain while negotiating in the interests of the bloc. Divided EU struggles A meeting was held on Friday in the Slovak capital of Bratislava with the 27 other EU members and a six-month "road map" designed to bring back public confidence in the union was unveiled. But unity was shadowed as many leaders including Italy`s Matteo Renzi and Hungary`s Viktor Orban, did not agree with the conclusions once the meeting ended. "I`m not satisfied with the (summit) conclusions on growth or on immigration," said Renzi. According to Reuters, Renzi was miffed at being excluded from a joint news conference given by Germany`s Angela Merkel and France`s Francois Hollande at the end of the summit. "To define as a step forward today`s document on migrants would require a form of fantasy, a verbal high-wire act," the Italian Prime Minister added. Orban ,meanwhile, criticised Merkel for refusing to agree to a cap on the number of migrants entering Europe, calling her pro-refugee stance "self-destructive and naive". But people eye-witnesses to the summit said that Orban and Renzi did not raise serious complaints with other leaders during the talks. "This is clearly about domestic politics," a senior official said told Reuters. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

May likely to launch Brexit in 2017: Donald Tusk

Britain&#39;s UK Independence Party on Friday elected deputy chairwoman Diane James as its new leader, replacing Nigel Farage who stepped down in June. 
 
A member of the European parliament, James was announced as the new party head at its annual conference in the coastal town of Bournemouth following a ballot of UKIP&#39;s 40,000 members, Reuters reported. 
 
&quot;We are the political change movement of the United Kingdom,&quot; James said. 
 
The new party chief has pledged to ensure that the government exits from the European Union resulting in tighter immigration controls and more free trade. 
 
A close ally of Farage at the conference announced joining the ruling Conservative Party, saying that Prime Minister Theresa May had delivered on the key elements of the UKIP manifesto. 
 
The UKIP had won nearly four million votes at a general election in 2015 and played a key role in persuading people to vote for Britain&#39;s exit from the EU.

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

James, who replaced Nigel Farage, was announced as the new party head following a ballot of UKIP's 40,000 members

Britain's UK Independence Party on Friday elected deputy chairwoman Diane James as its new leader, replacing Nigel Farage who stepped down in June. A member of the European parliament, James was announced as the new party head at its annual conference in the coastal town of Bournemouth following a ballot of UKIP's 40,000 members, Reuters reported. "We are the political change movement of the United Kingdom," James said. The new party chief has pledged to ensure that the government exits from the European Union resulting in tighter immigration controls and more free trade. A close ally of Farage at the conference announced joining the ruling Conservative Party, saying that Prime Minister Theresa May had delivered on the key elements of the UKIP manifesto. The UKIP had won nearly four million votes at a general election in 2015 and played a key role in persuading people to vote for Britain's exit from the EU. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Diane James elected new chief of Britain's anti-EU party

EU president Donald Tusk on Tuesday warned leaders they cannot ignore the lessons of Brexit and must address concerns about migration when they meet in Bratislava this week. 
 
Former Polish premier Tusk added that the bloc must be less &quot;politically correct&quot; and protect Europeans worried about terrorism, security and globalisation in the wake of Britain&#39;s vote to leave.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;It would be a fatal error to assume that the negative result in the UK referendum represents a specifically British issue,&quot; Tusk wrote in an invitation letter for Friday&#39;s summit of 27 leaders, all except Britain. 
 
In the letter seen by AFP, he said the EU had been too slow to deal with the migration crisis, adding: &quot;We do not have too much time to spare. Bratislava will have to be a turning point in terms of protecting the Union&#39;s external borders.&quot; 
 
The five-page invitation letter was sent to leaders on Tuesday, on the eve of the annual State of the Union address by European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker to the European Parliament in Strasbourg.&nbsp; 
 
Tusk said the EU leaders meeting in Bratislava, in a summit that is meant to draw up a roadmap for a future without Britain, had to act now to secure Europe&#39;s borders in the face of the migration crisis. 
 
&quot;All too often they (European citizens) heard politically correct statements that Europe cannot become a fortress, that it must remain open,&quot; the former Polish prime minister warned. 
 
Tusk added that it was important for the rest of the EU to learn from Brexit, especially the British people&#39;s concerns over mass migration. 
 
He said the Leave camp in Britain&#39;s June 23 referendum used &quot;false arguments&quot; but said it was &quot;also true that the Brexit vote is a desperate attempt to answer the questions that millions of Europeans ask themselves daily&quot;. 
 
&quot;Questions about the guarantees of security of the citizens and their territory, questions about the protection of their interests, cultural heritage and way of life,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;These are questions we would have to face even if the UK had voted to remain.&quot; 
 
Tusk, fresh from a tour of European capitals to canvass opinion, urged the EU to deliver on both security and prosperity but said that did not mean more powers for Brussels. 
 
&quot;My talks with you clearly show ... that is not the desired recipe,&quot; Tusk wrote&nbsp; 
 
His last comments could be taken as a dig at Juncker, who has made much play of the fact that he leads a &quot;political&quot; Commission, rather than the bureaucratic apparatus it is by tradition, and as a result has been harshly criticised for not doing enough to prevent Brexit.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Tusk added that the bloc must be less "politically correct" and protect Europeans worried about terrorism, security and globalisation

EU president Donald Tusk on Tuesday warned leaders they cannot ignore the lessons of Brexit and must address concerns about migration when they meet in Bratislava this week. Former Polish premier Tusk added that the bloc must be less "politically correct" and protect Europeans worried about terrorism, security and globalisation in the wake of Britain's vote to leave. "It would be a fatal error to assume that the negative result in the UK referendum represents a specifically British issue," Tusk wrote in an invitation letter for Friday's summit of 27 leaders, all except Britain. In the letter seen by AFP, he said the EU had been too slow to deal with the migration crisis, adding: "We do not have too much time to spare. Bratislava will have to be a turning point in terms of protecting the Union's external borders." The five-page invitation letter was sent to leaders on Tuesday, on the eve of the annual State of the Union address by European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. Tusk said the EU leaders meeting in Bratislava, in a summit that is meant to draw up a roadmap for a future without Britain, had to act now to secure Europe's borders in the face of the migration crisis. "All too often they (European citizens) heard politically correct statements that Europe cannot become a fortress, that it must remain open," the former Polish prime minister warned. Tusk added that it was important for the rest of the EU to learn from Brexit, especially the British people's concerns over mass migration. He said the Leave camp in Britain's June 23 referendum used "false arguments" but said it was "also true that the Brexit vote is a desperate attempt to answer the questions that millions of Europeans ask themselves daily". "Questions about the guarantees of security of the citizens and their territory, questions about the protection of their interests, cultural heritage and way of life," he said. "These are questions we would have to face even if the UK had voted to remain." Tusk, fresh from a tour of European capitals to canvass opinion, urged the EU to deliver on both security and prosperity but said that did not mean more powers for Brussels. "My talks with you clearly show ... that is not the desired recipe," Tusk wrote His last comments could be taken as a dig at Juncker, who has made much play of the fact that he leads a "political" Commission, rather than the bureaucratic apparatus it is by tradition, and as a result has been harshly criticised for not doing enough to prevent Brexit. (AFP)

'Fatal error' for EU to ignore Brexit lessons:Tusk

Britain&#39;s interior minister Amber Rudd said on Sunday she was looking at a work permits system to control migration from the European Union, responding to Brexit voters&#39; demand for tighter border controls. 
 
Although formal negotiations on leaving the EU have yet to begin, Britain is searching for a way to satisfy voters who backed leaving the EU because they wanted lower immigration and an end to open borders with the bloc, whilst meeting the needs of an economy in which some sectors depend on foreign labour. 
 
&quot;Work permits certainly has value,&quot; Rudd told the BBC, saying her department was examining immigration control systems and that no decisions had yet been made. 
 
Britain currently has a visa system for non-EU nationals, but under EU rules citizens from within the 28-country bloc are free to live and work in Britain. 
 
&quot;What we&#39;re going to look at is how we can get the best for the economy, driving the numbers down but protecting the people who really add value to the economy,&quot; Rudd said. 
 
Earlier this month Prime Minister Theresa May rejected a &quot;points-based&quot; system to screen immigrants - something Brexit campaigners promised to implement - stirring fears among some voters that her government was not taking a hard enough line on key issues like immigration. 
 
But May has said the June 23 vote to leave the EU showed Britons wanted to control the movement of people from the bloc. 
 
Rudd, a close ally of May, backed the government&#39;s long-standing target of bringing net annual migration into Britain, currently at 327,000, down below 100,000. 
 
Migration controls are likely to form one of the most contentious negotiating points in talks with the EU on leaving the bloc, as Britain looks to tighten border controls without losing access the EU single market. 
 
Britain&#39;s EU partners are so far adamant that it cannot enjoy full trade benefits unless it continues to provide free movement for EU nationals. 
 
Rudd also refused to rule out the prospect that Britons might have to pay for permission to travel to the EU, commenting on a report in the Guardian newspaper that cited draft EU visa legislation which may affect post-Brexit Britain. 
 
&quot;I don&#39;t think it&#39;s particularly desirable, but we don&#39;t rule it out because we have to be allowed a free hand to get the best negotiations... it&#39;s a reminder that this is a two-way negotiation,&quot; she said. 
 
(Reuters)

Britain currently has a visa system for non-EU nationals but under EU rules, citizens from the 28-country bloc are free to work in Britain

Britain's interior minister Amber Rudd said on Sunday she was looking at a work permits system to control migration from the European Union, responding to Brexit voters' demand for tighter border controls. Although formal negotiations on leaving the EU have yet to begin, Britain is searching for a way to satisfy voters who backed leaving the EU because they wanted lower immigration and an end to open borders with the bloc, whilst meeting the needs of an economy in which some sectors depend on foreign labour. "Work permits certainly has value," Rudd told the BBC, saying her department was examining immigration control systems and that no decisions had yet been made. Britain currently has a visa system for non-EU nationals, but under EU rules citizens from within the 28-country bloc are free to live and work in Britain. "What we're going to look at is how we can get the best for the economy, driving the numbers down but protecting the people who really add value to the economy," Rudd said. Earlier this month Prime Minister Theresa May rejected a "points-based" system to screen immigrants - something Brexit campaigners promised to implement - stirring fears among some voters that her government was not taking a hard enough line on key issues like immigration. But May has said the June 23 vote to leave the EU showed Britons wanted to control the movement of people from the bloc. Rudd, a close ally of May, backed the government's long-standing target of bringing net annual migration into Britain, currently at 327,000, down below 100,000. Migration controls are likely to form one of the most contentious negotiating points in talks with the EU on leaving the bloc, as Britain looks to tighten border controls without losing access the EU single market. Britain's EU partners are so far adamant that it cannot enjoy full trade benefits unless it continues to provide free movement for EU nationals. Rudd also refused to rule out the prospect that Britons might have to pay for permission to travel to the EU, commenting on a report in the Guardian newspaper that cited draft EU visa legislation which may affect post-Brexit Britain. "I don't think it's particularly desirable, but we don't rule it out because we have to be allowed a free hand to get the best negotiations... it's a reminder that this is a two-way negotiation," she said. (Reuters)

Britain eyeing work permits to control EU immigration: Interior minister

A lasting rise in hate crimes has been observed across England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been reported in the second half of July, nearly a month after the EU referendum vote.&nbsp; 
 
Incidents of hate crimes in the United &nbsp;Kingdom remain significantly higher than they were a year ago, Guardian reported today. 
 
According to the National Police Chiefs&#39; Council report, there was an increase of 49 per cent in such incidents ( to 1,836) in the last week in July when compared with the previous year. The final week of July witnessed a record 58 per cent increase in recorded incidents to 1,787, the report says&nbsp; 
 
Racial abuse in Wales went up to 60 per cent over the EU referendum period, BBC Wales reported.&nbsp; 
 
The most recent data shows that there were over 1,384 incidents of hate crime in the third week of August.&nbsp; 
 
&ldquo;Many victims are still afraid to come forward and so the scale of attacks could be far higher than what is being reported. The UN said two weeks ago that the problem of underreporting hate crime persists in Britain and the government&rsquo;s own hate-crime strategy sets out to increase the reporting of hate crime, acknowledging one of the biggest challenges to the police in tackling it,&rdquo; Jack Dromey, a British Labour Party politician told the Guardian.&nbsp; 
 
Previously published figures reveal that while the increase in hate crime has continued, the level of increase has declined. There was a 46 per cent spike in hate crime immediately after the June 23 referendum.&nbsp; 
 
 
(WION)&nbsp;

'The final week of July witnessed a record 58 per cent increase in recorded incidents to 1,787'

A lasting rise in hate crimes has been observed across England, Wales and Northern Ireland has been reported in the second half of July, nearly a month after the EU referendum vote. Incidents of hate crimes in the United Kingdom remain significantly higher than they were a year ago, Guardian reported today. According to the National Police Chiefs' Council report, there was an increase of 49 per cent in such incidents ( to 1,836) in the last week in July when compared with the previous year. The final week of July witnessed a record 58 per cent increase in recorded incidents to 1,787, the report says Racial abuse in Wales went up to 60 per cent over the EU referendum period, BBC Wales reported. The most recent data shows that there were over 1,384 incidents of hate crime in the third week of August. “Many victims are still afraid to come forward and so the scale of attacks could be far higher than what is being reported. The UN said two weeks ago that the problem of underreporting hate crime persists in Britain and the government’s own hate-crime strategy sets out to increase the reporting of hate crime, acknowledging one of the biggest challenges to the police in tackling it,” Jack Dromey, a British Labour Party politician told the Guardian. Previously published figures reveal that while the increase in hate crime has continued, the level of increase has declined. There was a 46 per cent spike in hate crime immediately after the June 23 referendum. (WION)

Lasting rise in hate crimes in UK after Brexit

British Prime Minister Theresa May warned of possible &quot;difficult times ahead&quot; for Britain&#39;s economy as she arrived at the G20 summit of world leaders in China on Saturday.&nbsp; 
 
She said there may be difficult times ahead, but also voiced her optimism about Britain&rsquo;s health. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not going to pretend that it&#39;s all going to be plain sailing,&quot; she said. &quot;I think we must be prepared for the fact that there may be some difficult times ahead. But what I am is optimistic.&quot; 
 
May also confirmed Downing Street briefings that she is not intending to call a general election soon. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not going to be calling a snap election,&quot; May said.&nbsp; 
 
She added, &quot;I&#39;ve been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020.&quot; 
 
May is meeting world leaders including US President Barack Obama and China&#39;s Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in China. 
 
She had been hoping to pitch the UK as a global leader in free trade during her first major outing on the world stage at the G20 summit. 
 
But, she was faced with a difficult start.&nbsp; 
 
President Barack Obama said the UK would not be the priority for a US trade deal and Japan issued an unprecedented 15-page warning about the consequences of Brexit. 
 
(WION with inputs from agencies)

May said, 'I think we must be prepared for the fact that there may be some difficult times ahead. But what I am is optimistic'

British Prime Minister Theresa May warned of possible "difficult times ahead" for Britain's economy as she arrived at the G20 summit of world leaders in China on Saturday. She said there may be difficult times ahead, but also voiced her optimism about Britain’s health. "I'm not going to pretend that it's all going to be plain sailing," she said. "I think we must be prepared for the fact that there may be some difficult times ahead. But what I am is optimistic." May also confirmed Downing Street briefings that she is not intending to call a general election soon. "I'm not going to be calling a snap election," May said. She added, "I've been very clear that I think we need that period of time, that stability, to be able to deal with the issues that the country is facing and have that election in 2020." May is meeting world leaders including US President Barack Obama and China's Xi Jinping at the G20 summit in China. She had been hoping to pitch the UK as a global leader in free trade during her first major outing on the world stage at the G20 summit. But, she was faced with a difficult start. President Barack Obama said the UK would not be the priority for a US trade deal and Japan issued an unprecedented 15-page warning about the consequences of Brexit. (WION with inputs from agencies)

May warns of 'difficult times' for UK economy

The German, French and Polish foreign ministers vowed today to increase ties between their countries when Britain leaves the EU to secure a safer and more effective union. 
 
&quot;Confronted by unparallelled challenges in Europe (we must) intensify cooperation and create a new drive,&quot; Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Jean-Marc Ayrault and Witold Waszczykowski said in a joint statement. 
 
They were gathered in the eastern German town of Weimar to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the &quot;Weimar Triangle&quot; political forum. 
 
They vowed to &quot;reinforce the foundations of European integration for a more flexible EU that reflects the different ambitions of member states regarding increased integration&quot; once Britain had left the bloc. 
 
Talks between the 27 EU nations remaining in the bloc are likely to be challenging, as Berlin&#39;s preferred vision of a centralised, federal Europe clashes with proposals for a confederation of nation states popular among leaders of eastern EU members. 
 
The three foreign ministers gathered in Weimar also called for the bloc&#39;s combined foreign and security policies to be strengthened with the creation of an annual European Security Council meeting of EU heads of government. 
 
Their comments came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that the refusal of some EU countries to accept Muslim refugees is &quot;unacceptable&quot; and called for quotas to divide the influx throughout the bloc. 
 
&quot;We know that there is no simple answer to these challenges, but we are determined to confront them together in a spirit of renewed mutual confidence,&quot; said the ministers&#39; statement. 
 
The Weimar Triangle, created in 1991, is a consultative body that promotes cooperation and common interests between the three EU states.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

The countries vowed to 'reinforce the foundations of European integration' for a more flexible EU

The German, French and Polish foreign ministers vowed today to increase ties between their countries when Britain leaves the EU to secure a safer and more effective union. "Confronted by unparallelled challenges in Europe (we must) intensify cooperation and create a new drive," Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Jean-Marc Ayrault and Witold Waszczykowski said in a joint statement. They were gathered in the eastern German town of Weimar to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the "Weimar Triangle" political forum. They vowed to "reinforce the foundations of European integration for a more flexible EU that reflects the different ambitions of member states regarding increased integration" once Britain had left the bloc. Talks between the 27 EU nations remaining in the bloc are likely to be challenging, as Berlin's preferred vision of a centralised, federal Europe clashes with proposals for a confederation of nation states popular among leaders of eastern EU members. The three foreign ministers gathered in Weimar also called for the bloc's combined foreign and security policies to be strengthened with the creation of an annual European Security Council meeting of EU heads of government. Their comments came as German Chancellor Angela Merkel said today that the refusal of some EU countries to accept Muslim refugees is "unacceptable" and called for quotas to divide the influx throughout the bloc. "We know that there is no simple answer to these challenges, but we are determined to confront them together in a spirit of renewed mutual confidence," said the ministers' statement. The Weimar Triangle, created in 1991, is a consultative body that promotes cooperation and common interests between the three EU states. (AFP)

Germany, Paris, Warsaw call for closer ties post-Brexit

Prime Minister Theresa May wants to trigger Britain&#39;s withdrawal from the European Union without a vote in parliament beforehand, a report said Saturday. 
 
A source in her Downing Street office said the Daily Telegraph report was speculation but added that May was &quot;committed to delivering on the verdict the public gave&quot; in the June referendum, when 52 percent voted for Britain to leave the EU. 
 
May&#39;s government already faces a legal challenge to stop it beginning the process of leaving the EU without an act of parliament. 
 
Lawyers from the Mishcon de Reya lawfirm are poised to challenge the government in the English High Court, arguing that May cannot trigger Article 50 of the EU&#39;s Lisbon Treaty -- the legal process for leaving the bloc -- without a parliamentary debate and vote authorising it to do so. 
 
A majority of members of parliament&#39;s lower House of Commons campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, including May. 
 
Once Article 50 is triggered, it would start a two-year countdown on Britain&#39;s exit from the EU. 
 
May has said it will not be triggered this year, the government needing time to shape Britain&#39;s exit objectives first. 
 
Meanwhile Gus O&#39;Donnell, the former head of the civil service, said Brexit was not inevitable and Britain could still remain a part of a changed EU. 
 
&quot;It very much depends what happens to public opinion and whether the EU changes&quot; before Britain was ready to leave, he told The Times newspaper. 
 
&quot;It might be that the broader, more loosely aligned group, is something that the UK is happy being a member of.&quot; 
 
He told BBC radio that elections in France and Germany next year meant &quot;it is not even clear which leaders our prime minister will be negotiating with, so I don&#39;t think there&#39;s any great rush to do it&quot;. 
 
Bookmakers believe there is a one in eight chance of a second Brexit referendum before the end of 2020. 
 
(AFP)

A source in her office said the news report was speculation but added that May was 'committed to delivering on the verdict the public gave'

Prime Minister Theresa May wants to trigger Britain's withdrawal from the European Union without a vote in parliament beforehand, a report said Saturday. A source in her Downing Street office said the Daily Telegraph report was speculation but added that May was "committed to delivering on the verdict the public gave" in the June referendum, when 52 percent voted for Britain to leave the EU. May's government already faces a legal challenge to stop it beginning the process of leaving the EU without an act of parliament. Lawyers from the Mishcon de Reya lawfirm are poised to challenge the government in the English High Court, arguing that May cannot trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty -- the legal process for leaving the bloc -- without a parliamentary debate and vote authorising it to do so. A majority of members of parliament's lower House of Commons campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU, including May. Once Article 50 is triggered, it would start a two-year countdown on Britain's exit from the EU. May has said it will not be triggered this year, the government needing time to shape Britain's exit objectives first. Meanwhile Gus O'Donnell, the former head of the civil service, said Brexit was not inevitable and Britain could still remain a part of a changed EU. "It very much depends what happens to public opinion and whether the EU changes" before Britain was ready to leave, he told The Times newspaper. "It might be that the broader, more loosely aligned group, is something that the UK is happy being a member of." He told BBC radio that elections in France and Germany next year meant "it is not even clear which leaders our prime minister will be negotiating with, so I don't think there's any great rush to do it". Bookmakers believe there is a one in eight chance of a second Brexit referendum before the end of 2020. (AFP)

British PM to trigger EU pull-out 'without parliament vote': Telegraph

The European Union needs a reboot in the wake of Britain&#39;s vote to leave, Italy&#39;s prime minister said Monday as he prepared to meet his French and German counterparts to discuss the fallout from Brexit. 
 
&quot;It is easy to blame Europe for everything, harder to try to build a different Europe that pays more attention to values and less to big finance,&quot; Matteo Renzi said on his Facebook page, explaining why he had called the meeting with French President Francois Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel. 
 
&quot;That is what we are trying to do with all the energy we possess.&quot; 
 
Europe&#39;s economic outlook, jihadist attacks, the refugee and migrant drama, the Syrian conflict, and relations with Russia and Turkey were all on the agenda for the talks later Monday on the island of Ventotene, one of the cradles of the European dream. 
 
The big three are hoping to forge a common position ahead of an informal EU summit in Bratislava that will attempt to plot a way forward for the 27 remaining member states. 
 
Renzi admitted Brexit had left the bloc facing tough challenges. 
 
&quot;Confronted with problems, one has a choice: find someone to blame or find a solution,&quot; he wrote. 
 
&quot;We are working to solve the problems. And that means we want a post-Brexit Europe, that has been hit in the heart by terrorism, to relaunch an ideal based on unity and peace, freedom and dreams, dialogue and identity.&quot; 
 
It will be the second round of talks between the three leaders. At their first, shortly after Britain&#39;s June 23 vote, the leaders called for &quot;a new impulse&quot; for the EU. 
 
Critics have demanded less talk and more action over a crisis some states fear could lead to similar referendums in other countries, particularly the Netherlands, which opposes changes to the EU to achieve closer integration. 
 
Coming up with a road map acceptable to all will not be easy, with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia vowing after Britain&#39;s vote to draw up their own plans for a less centralised EU. 
 
Renzi was to welcome Hollande and Merkel in Naples at 1400 GMT before travelling to Ventotene, where they will visit the grave of Altiero Spinelli, one of the founding fathers of the ideal of European integration. 
 
Imprisoned on the island by the fascist government during World War II, Spinelli and fellow captive Ernesto Rossi co-wrote the &quot;Ventotene manifesto&quot; calling for a federation of European states. 
 
In another symbolic move, the leaders will hold a working dinner and press conference on Italy&#39;s Garibaldi aircraft carrier, the flagship of the EU&#39;s &quot;Sophia&quot; mission against people trafficking in the Mediterranean. 
 
It will be the start of an intensive tour for Merkel as she attempts to coordinate a response to one of the EU&#39;s biggest crises in decades and quell fears Berlin wants to monopolise the debate. 
 
After a series of deadly attacks by the Islamic State group, the three leaders are also expected to explore greater cooperation on counter-terrorism and an integrated European security and defence policy, a long-cherished objective that could be easier to achieve now sceptical Britain has departed. 
 
In terms of the economy, Hollande wants an EU investment fund for infrastructure, education, research and innovation to be doubled, according to a French diplomatic source. 
 
Renzi is tipped to unveil a proposal to use part of those funds to restore European cultural monuments. 
 
But while Hollande and Renzi want to tackle Europe&#39;s identity crisis through investments, Merkel is unlikely to be moved by their anti-austerity overtures. 
 
All three leaders have been hit in the polls by varying toxic combinations of refugee crisis, economic slump and terror attacks, with eurosceptic or populist parties gaining ground. 
 
And with 2017 bringing a general election in Germany and the presidential election in France, they will be wary of ignoring opposition to further European integration at home, leaving them little room for manoeuvre. 
 
(AFP)

EU big three are hoping to forge a common position ahead of an informal summit in Bratislava that will attempt to plot a way forward

The European Union needs a reboot in the wake of Britain's vote to leave, Italy's prime minister said Monday as he prepared to meet his French and German counterparts to discuss the fallout from Brexit. "It is easy to blame Europe for everything, harder to try to build a different Europe that pays more attention to values and less to big finance," Matteo Renzi said on his Facebook page, explaining why he had called the meeting with French President Francois Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel. "That is what we are trying to do with all the energy we possess." Europe's economic outlook, jihadist attacks, the refugee and migrant drama, the Syrian conflict, and relations with Russia and Turkey were all on the agenda for the talks later Monday on the island of Ventotene, one of the cradles of the European dream. The big three are hoping to forge a common position ahead of an informal EU summit in Bratislava that will attempt to plot a way forward for the 27 remaining member states. Renzi admitted Brexit had left the bloc facing tough challenges. "Confronted with problems, one has a choice: find someone to blame or find a solution," he wrote. "We are working to solve the problems. And that means we want a post-Brexit Europe, that has been hit in the heart by terrorism, to relaunch an ideal based on unity and peace, freedom and dreams, dialogue and identity." It will be the second round of talks between the three leaders. At their first, shortly after Britain's June 23 vote, the leaders called for "a new impulse" for the EU. Critics have demanded less talk and more action over a crisis some states fear could lead to similar referendums in other countries, particularly the Netherlands, which opposes changes to the EU to achieve closer integration. Coming up with a road map acceptable to all will not be easy, with the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia vowing after Britain's vote to draw up their own plans for a less centralised EU. Renzi was to welcome Hollande and Merkel in Naples at 1400 GMT before travelling to Ventotene, where they will visit the grave of Altiero Spinelli, one of the founding fathers of the ideal of European integration. Imprisoned on the island by the fascist government during World War II, Spinelli and fellow captive Ernesto Rossi co-wrote the "Ventotene manifesto" calling for a federation of European states. In another symbolic move, the leaders will hold a working dinner and press conference on Italy's Garibaldi aircraft carrier, the flagship of the EU's "Sophia" mission against people trafficking in the Mediterranean. It will be the start of an intensive tour for Merkel as she attempts to coordinate a response to one of the EU's biggest crises in decades and quell fears Berlin wants to monopolise the debate. After a series of deadly attacks by the Islamic State group, the three leaders are also expected to explore greater cooperation on counter-terrorism and an integrated European security and defence policy, a long-cherished objective that could be easier to achieve now sceptical Britain has departed. In terms of the economy, Hollande wants an EU investment fund for infrastructure, education, research and innovation to be doubled, according to a French diplomatic source. Renzi is tipped to unveil a proposal to use part of those funds to restore European cultural monuments. But while Hollande and Renzi want to tackle Europe's identity crisis through investments, Merkel is unlikely to be moved by their anti-austerity overtures. All three leaders have been hit in the polls by varying toxic combinations of refugee crisis, economic slump and terror attacks, with eurosceptic or populist parties gaining ground. And with 2017 bringing a general election in Germany and the presidential election in France, they will be wary of ignoring opposition to further European integration at home, leaving them little room for manoeuvre. (AFP)

Italy calls for reboot as EU big three mull Brexit wreckage

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