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MPs back May’s timetable for Brexit

A British Union flag flies near the Elizabeth Tower, otherwise known as Big Ben, opposite the Houses of Parliament in central London on December 7, 2016. (Photo by AFP)

British MPs agree not to delay plans by Prime Minister Theresa May to start the Brexit process by the end of March.

The Wednesday vote served as a symbolic victory for the premier, whose government is tasked with triggering the European Union’s Article 50, which begins a two-year exit process from the bloc.

May was being urged to release a plan for Brexit before garnering support from the parliament but finally the lawmakers accepted to let the process begin without that and she had to promise that she would provide more details.

"I will make as much information as possible available without prejudicing our negotiating position," said her Brexit minister, David Davis.

During the parliament session, MPs supported May's timeline to formally start negotiations to exit the EU by the end of March 2017.

They also backed a motion by the opposition Labour party, which would allow the parliament to scrutinize the process.

The British prime minister has been seeking the final say in the process though the country’s supreme court.

"When they have said they are going to publish a plan, I expect to see some detail,” Labour MP Hilary Benn told state-funded BBC. "Parliament doesn't intend to be a bystander, parliament intends to be a participant.”

Once article 50 is triggered by an EU member state, there is a two-year time limit to complete negotiations. If negotiations fail to reach agreement, the member state leaves the bloc with nothing.

In a landmark referendum held on June 23, nearly 52 percent of British voters, amounting to more than 17 million citizens, opted to leave the EU, a decision that sent shock waves throughout the world.


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