There is no doubt that there will be challenges along the way when Brexit negotiations begin, expected in March, but none are insurmountable if politicians on all sides approach them with a constructive attitude. In this major report, the IoD looks at the options available to the Government, and spells out the priorities for IoD members. Chief among business leaders’ requests is that the Prime Minister makes sure there is…

CNN, 8th February. Britain’s lower house of Parliament passed legislation Wednesday to allow Prime Minister Theresa May’s government to officially begin the Brexit process. Now that the legislation has been approved by the House of Commons, it will be put before the House of Lords for a final decision later this month. Members of the House of Commons had already voted overwhelmingly in favor of the bill to kick off…

BBC News website, 1st February. MPs have voted by a majority of 384 to allow Prime Minister Theresa May to get Brexit negotiations under way. They backed the government’s European Union Bill, supported by the Labour leadership, by 498 votes to 114. But the SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats opposed the bill, while 47 Labour MPs and Tory ex-chancellor Ken Clarke rebelled. The bill now faces further scrutiny…

The Times, 26th January. Today David Davis presented the government’s legislation for triggering Article 50 to Parliament. Fortunately for the government, the Supreme Court judgement did not specify what form the legislation must take. So it is very, very tightly worded. In fact strip out the guff it amounts to 23 words: “The Prime Minister may notify, under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, the United Kingdom’s intention…

BBC News website, 24th January. Parliament must vote on whether the government can start the Brexit process, the Supreme Court has ruled. The judgement means Theresa May cannot begin talks with the EU until MPs and peers give their backing – although this is expected to happen in time for the government’s 31 March deadline. But the court ruled the Scottish Parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies did not…

The Times, 17th January. After months of speculation, soundbites and noises off today we learnt in some detail what the government’s vision is for Britain’s future relationship with the European Union. We bring you the first analysis of Theresa May’s speech and what it means for all of us. Single market What we learnt The UK is leaving the single market, the cornerstone of European integration over the past few…

Bloomberg, 13th January. British bankers are lowering their sights when it comes to securing a Brexit deal that will safeguard the U.K.’s biggest industry. After months of pushing to keep the current form of unrestricted access to the European Union’s single market after the U.K. leaves, TheCityUK lobby group diluted its demands Thursday. No longer is it so vocal in seeking so-called passporting, which allows global banks with bases in…

The Times, 5th January. Early March: Triggering Article 50 The government has set itself a deadline of March 31 to formally give notice to quit the European Union and begin the two-year exit talks process. Theresa May will not wait until the final deadline to push the button, and the process will begin much earlier, probably at the start of the month. This will allow Brexit to be discussed formally…

The Times, 22nd December 2016 Nicola Sturgeon suggested this week that Scotland could follow the Norway model and stay in the single market after Britain’s departure from the EU even if the rest of the UK pulled out. But no one should be fooled. This is another move by the first minister to use Brexit to push the SNP’s overarching agenda: Scottish independence. Mrs Sturgeon argued that under her scenario…

The Times, 15th December 2016 Although rarely mentioned before June 23, the idea of continued membership of the EU’s customs union has emerged as a dominant theme in the post-referendum debate. Yet its importance has been vastly overrated, not least because the customs union has been confused with the separate process of customs co-operation. This confusion resulted from an erroneous statement in last April’s Treasury report on Brexit which claimed…