UK Publishes Bill to Kick Off Brexit

Britain’s government on Thursday published a draft law that would authorize Prime Minister Theresa May to begin the procedure for leaving the European Union in an important milestone toward Brexit. “The British people have made the decision to leave the EU ... so today we have introduced a bill in parliament which will allow us to formally trigger Article 50 by the end of March,” said Brexit Minister David Davis, France24 reported . The two-clause “European Union Notification of Withdrawal Bill” asks parliament to give May authority to start the formal mechanism by which Britain will leave the bloc. The government said MPs would get their first chance to debate and vote on it on Tuesday and Wednesday next week. May’s government was forced to go to parliament following a landmark Supreme Court ruling this week that rejected its argument that executive powers allowed it to proceed. The ruling Conservatives have a small majority in the House of Commons and the bill is expected to get the go-ahead from MPs, although opposition parties have said they plan to put forward amendments that could slow it down.