UK to exit EU on March 29, 2019 - at 11pm

The United Kingdom will exit the European Union (EU) at 11pm on March 29, 2019, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced on Friday.

May outlined plans to set the UK's departure date and time from the EU in law, warning she will not tolerate any attempt to block Brexit.

She said the EU Withdrawal Bill will be amended to formally commit to Brexit at 11pm on March 29, 2019, reports the BBC.

"Let no one doubt our determination or question our resolve, Brexit is happening," she wrote in an article in The Daily Telegraph.

"It will be there in black and white on the front page of this historic piece of legislation: the United Kingdom will be leaving the EU on March 29, 2019 at 11 pm"

The draft legislation has already passed its second reading and will now be scrutinised by MPs next week, reports the BBC.

May said most people wanted politicians to "come together" to negotiate a good Brexit deal, adding that MPs on all sides should help scrutinise it. She said the government would listen to MPs if they had ideas for improving the bill but warned against attempts to halt the process.

"Where MPs think they can improve the Bill, this government will listen to them," May said.

"But we will not tolerate attempts from any quarter to use the process of amendments to this Bill as a mechanism to try to block the democratic wishes of the British people by attempting to slow down or stop our departure from the European Union," she added.

May said the 'historic' bill was "fundamental to delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit" and would give "the greatest possible clarity and certainty for all businesses and families across the country". "The EU Withdrawal Bill is the single most significant piece of legislation in this parliament because it is fundamental to delivering a smooth and orderly Brexit," wrote May.

Meanwhile, the former British ambassador to the EU who helped author Article 50, the EU's legal mechanism for withdrawal, insisted on Friday that the process can still be reversed.

Source: Khaleej Times