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May: Article 50 to be triggered before end of March next year

Theresa May has said the formal withdrawal process for Britain leaving the European Union will be invoked by the end of March 2017.

Speaking at the Conservative party conference in Birmingham, the prime minister also confirmed plans for a "Great Repeal Bill" to overturn legislation that took Britain into the EU.

However Mrs May came under attack from Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after she said there is "no opt out from Brexit" and we will "never allow divisive nationalists to undermine the precious union between the four nations of our United Kingdom".

Mrs May also said she will not accept any limits on Britain's ability to control immigration in negotiations to leave the EU.

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Business group calls for clarity on Brexit process

CBI Director-General Carolyn Fairbairn has called on Theresa May to provide greater clarity on Brexit. Credit: PA

British firms need greater clarity about the Brexit process, the Confederation of British Industry warned as Theresa May said she would fire the starting gun by the end of March next year.

The prime minister used a speech on the opening day of the Conservative Party conference in Birmingham to confirm Article 50 would be triggered by the end of March, starting the two-year countdown to Brexit.

CBI director general Carolyn Fairbairn warned businesses "cannot continue to operate in the dark" about Mrs May's intentions for the future relationship with the European Union (EU).

She said: "With a rapid timetable pointing to an exit from the EU in spring 2019, businesses need to know the Government's ambition on the fundamental issues of skills and barrier-free access to EU markets as soon as possible.

"With the Great Repeal Bill we now know that on the day the UK leaves the EU, the rules businesses must follow will be broadly the same as they are today.

"But businesses cannot continue to operate in the dark in other areas. The decisions they face today are real and pressing.

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May: Article 50 to be triggered before end of March next year

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