British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that she will trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty at the end of March 2017, starting the UK's two-year process of withdrawal from the European Union.
The process can be extended beyond two years if Britain and all other EU countries unanimously agree, but that prospect is seen as unlikely.
If the negotiation plans go as predicted, Britain could leave the European Union by summer 2019.
(Photo by Nick Ansell - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Mrs May told BBC One’s Andrew Marr Show: "It’s not just important for the UK but important for Europe as a whole that we’re able to do this in the best possible way so we have the least disruption for businesses, and when we leave the EU we have a smooth transition from the EU."
Mrs May said Parliament will be kept informed, adding: ‘This is not about keeping silent for two years, but it’s about making sure that we are able to negotiate, that we don’t set out all the cards in our negotiation because, as anybody will know who’s been involved in these things, if you do that up front, or if you give a running commentary, you don’t get the right deal."
May also promised a "Great Repeal Bill" in the next Queen's Speech; this will overturn the act that took the United Kingdom into the EU.
"It will return power and authority to the elected institutions of our country," she told The Sunday Times.
"It means that the authority of EU law in Britain will end."
May said she will give more details at her party's annual conference in Birmingham on Sunday afternoon.
