Article 50 unlikely to be triggered at EU summit on 9 March
Britain is unlikely to trigger the two year Brexit negotiating process at the next European Union summit on 9 March, Brexit Secretary David Davis said on Tuesday.
Davis said that the government is on track to meet its self-imposed deadline to trigger the clause by the end of March, but would not activate Article 50 to kick off the process at the summit, Reuters reported.
It was suggested that Prime Minister Theresa May was aiming for the 9 March to avoid the 25 March summit celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome.
Last week MPs voted overwhelmingly for the Article 50 bill to trigger the clause with no amendments.
It has now been passed to the House of Lords, where it is expected to go through largely unchanged, although some peers have said they will might add conditions which could delay May’s timetable.
The Lords will debate the bill when Parliament reconvenes on 20 February for its second reading, followed by the committee stage on 27 February and the third reading on 3 March.