May to trigger pull-out from EU ‘without vote’
Bristish Prime Minister Theresa May waves to members of the media as she leaves 10 Downing Street in London. PHOTO | FILE
What you need to know:
- 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.
London. Prime Minister Theresa May wants to trigger Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union without a vote in parliament, 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 prevent it beginning the process of leaving the EU without an act of parliament.
Lawyers from the Mishcon de Reya law firm 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 her to do so.
Most members of parliament’s lower House of Commons, including May, campaigned for Britain to remain in the EU.
Once Article 50 is triggered, it would start a two-year countdown to Britain’s exit from the European Union.
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. (AFP)
