
Prime Minister Theresa May has kicked off the two-year process of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union in what she said was “an historic moment from which there can be no turning back”. Minutes after a letter informing the European Council of the UK’s intention to leave, Mrs May told the House of Commons that the Government was acting on “the democratic will of the British people” expressed in last year’s referendum vote for Brexit.

The UK is handing control of Europe's destiny to Germany by leaving the EU, Lord Heseltine has claimed. The Tory peer, sacked as a government adviser after defying the whip over Brexit, said the Germans had lost World War Two but the UK was now giving them the “opportunity to win the peace”.

The heads of state and government of the EU countries are gathering in Rome to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome. The celebrations will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, March 25th, when the heads of state and government and the leaders of the EU institutions will arrive at the Palace of the Conservators, located on the Capitoline hill.

Spain will support a Brexit deal that allows British expatriates to remain on the Costas with their benefits intact, including access to healthcare, it was reported. According to The Times, Madrid would “in principle” favour an agreement that would allow Britons living in Spain and other parts of the EU to retain existing rights.

Goldman Sachs will move jobs away from London and bulk up its European presence by “hundreds of people”, a senior executive has said. The US bank's European chief executive, Richard Gnodde, said it would begin the process before the UK leaves the European Union.

British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger EU withdrawal talks under Article 50 on March 29, Downing Street has announced. The Prime Minister’s letter officially notifying the European Council of the UK’s intention to quit will set in train a two-year negotiation process expected to lead to Britain leaving the EU on 29 March 2019.

Tony Blair has said Labour must back staying in the European Union to “recover its strategic grip on affairs and be competitive”. The former prime minister said he was not being disloyal, but that it is simply not credible to pretend that his party’s position is anything other than “serious”.

The UK government is to reject calls for a Scottish independence referendum before Brexit after Theresa May said now is not the time. The prime minister said the focus should be on getting the best Brexit deal for the whole of the UK.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Wednesday claimed a dominating parliamentary election victory over anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders, who failed the year's first litmus test for populism in Europe. Provisional results with over half the votes counted suggested Rutte's party won 32 seats in the 150-member legislature, 13 more than Wilders' party, which took only third place with 19 seats. The surging CDA Christian Democrats claimed 20.

Prime Minister Theresa May has claimed that Scotland will be leaving the European Union regardless of whether or not it votes for independence. Speaking during an exchange with the SNP's Angus Robertson, Theresa May also warned against constitutional game-playing.