Brexit triggered: Theresa May launches Britain and EU divorce proceedings

The Prime Minister has signed the letter that starts the formal exit process and the historic document has been hand-delivered by a senior diplomat to EU chiefs.

It marks the start of complex and contentious negotiations that put the UK on course to break its ties with the Brussels club by the end of March 2019.

Mrs May will urge the country to "come together" as she looks to the heal the deep wounds caused by a referendum campaign that left the UK mired in division.

The Prime Minister informed MPs that Brexit is being triggered after PMQs today and in Brussels, British ambassador to the EU Sir Tim Barrow delivered the document to Europe an Council president Donald Tusk.

Read the full letter here

The PM told the Commons she will represent "every person in the UK", including EU nationals, when she takes to the negotiating table.

"It is my fierce determination to get the right deal for every single person in this country, she said.

"For, as we face the opportunities ahead of us on this momentous journey, our shared values, interests and ambitions can, and must, bring us together.

"We all want to see a Britain that is stronger than it is today.

"We all want a country that is fairer so that everyone has the chance to succeed.

"We all want a nation that is safe and secure for our children and grandchildren.

"We all want to live in a truly global Britain that gets out and builds relationships with old friends and new allies around the world.

"These are the ambitions of this Government's plan for Britain. Ambitions that unite us, so that we are no longer defined by the vote we cast, but by our determination to make a success of the result.

"We are one great union of people and nations with a proud history and a bright future. And, now that the decision has been made to leave the EU, it is time to come together."

A statement from the European Council said: "Today, the European Council received a letter from the British Prime Minister, Theresa May, notifying the United Kingdom's intention to leave the European Union. This notification follows the referendum of 23 June 2016 and starts the withdrawal process under Article 50 of the Treaty. We regret that the United Kingdom will leave the European Union, but we are ready for the process that we now will have to follow.

"For the European Union, the first step will now be the adoption of guidelines for the negotiations by the European Council. These guidelines will set out the overall positions and principles in light of which the Union, represented by the European Commission, will negotiate with the United Kingdom.

"In these negotiations the Union will act as one and preserve its interests. Our first priority will be to minimise the uncertainty caused by the decision of the United Kingdom for our citizens, businesses and Member States. Therefore, we will start by focusing on all key arrangements for an orderly withdrawal.

"We will approach these talks constructively and strive to find an agreement. In the future, we hope to have the United Kingdom as a close partner.

"President Tusk has convened the European Council on 29 April 2017."

Sir Bill Cash has told of his "30 year journey" to take Britain out of the European Union – urging the Prime Minister to "assert" the national interest in her negotiations with European leaders.

The veteran Eurosceptic has been the country's most ardent campaigner on the issue of the UK's membership of the EU.

The triggering of Article 50 – the formal mechanism to start Britain's withdrawal from the EU – marks the culmination of three decades of campaigning.

The Stone MP also revealed how it was "crucial" to get a referendum, saying that nothing else would have broken the "collusion" between Labour and Conservative front benches on Europe.

"The triggering of Article 50 by the Prime Minister, to formally notify the EU of our intention to withdraw, has been a very long journey," he said.

"It is 30 years since I tabled an amendment to the Single European Act to retain the sovereignty of the United Kingdom Parliament. Back then, it was denied me and the amendment was not selected.

"One only has to look at the EU Notification of Withdrawal Act now to see how far we have come in seizing our sovereignty," he added.

"The second reading in the House of Commons on that Bill was passed by 498 to 114.

"The referendum was essential and I came to the conclusion back in the 1990s, looking at the Labour and Conservative front benches in the House of Commons, that nothing else was going to break the collusion between those two front benches on the European issue or on the question of sovereignty."

He said that setting up a campaign following the signing of the Maastricht Treaty in 1992 which led to the creation of the modern day EU and the euro was the a catalyst for last year's referendum.

Key EU figures agreed to enter into Brexit talks in a "positive spirit" during a series of telephone calls with Mrs May on Tuesday evening.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Tusk and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the UK would remain a "close and committed ally".

Within 48 hours, the European Commission is expected to issue "draft negotiation guidelines", which will be sent to the 27 remaining states for consultation.

Their leaders will meet on April 29 at an extraordinary European Council summit to agree a mandate for chief negotiator Michel Barnier and clear the way for talks to begin in earnest in May.

The key point of contention as soon as Article 50 is triggered is the order in which different aspects of Brexit are approached.

Effectively, there are two issues to be settled - the terms of Britain's withdrawal from the EU and arrangements for future trade relations.

On top of that is a possible third negotiation on a "transitional arrangement" covering the period between the moment of departure and new trade rules taking effect.

"Britain is going to change as a result. The question is how.

"The Conservatives want to use Brexit to turn our country into a low-wage tax haven.

"Labour is determined to ensure we can rebuild and transform Britain, so no one and no community is left behind.

"It will be a national failure of historic proportions if the Prime Minister comes back from Brussels without having secured protection for jobs and living standards.

"That's why Labour has set the clear priorities of full access to the European market, rights at work and environmental protection. And we will hold the Government to account every step of the way."

On Thursday, a white paper will be produced on the Great Repeal Bill, the legislation that will turn four decades of EU regulations into domestic laws.

Former UKIP chairman from Shrewsbury, Suzanne Evans, said it had been a "tough fight" for Brexit.

As Article 50 was being invoked today, EU flags have been placed in flower tubs and on monuments around Shrewsbury, including on the Charles Darwin statue. There were also flags seen on the Pontcysyllte viaduct in Llangollen.

These pictures have been posted on Twitter:

Brexit trigger is a ‘huge opportunity’

Theresa May told the Shropshire Star that she is convinced that the UK can make a success of Brexit, and said talks were already under way with other nations as the Government bids for a comprehensive free trade agreement.

The Prime Minister was in the West Midlands to address delegates at an international trade and investment at the ICC in Birmingham.

She said: "The triggering of Article 50 signals a huge opportunity for the future of this country.

"I think it is important we make a success of Brexit. The referendum result has given us the opportunity as a country to ask what sort of economy we want and what sort of country we want to be in the future.

"I have set out a plan for Britain. One of the main elements of that is for a global Britain that is much more outward looking.

"We must remember that although we are leaving the EU but we are not leaving Europe. We still want to have a good partnership, particularly in terms of trading relations with the remaining 27 members of the EU.

"But we also have the perfect opportunity to look more widely around the world. We are talking to a number of countries about the trading arrangements that we want to put in place."

Mrs May said she would be aiming to deliver 'a comprehensive free trade agreement' enabling Britain to have as 'frictionless' trade relationship as possible with the EU member states.

"I genuinely believe that such an outcome is possible," she said. "This is not just about how any deal will benefit the UK, it is about how it benefits other countries. Good terms of trade matters to both sides."

The Government has set a target of March 2019 for the completion of Brexit negotiations, a deadline that Mrs May said is 'very achievable'.

"There is an awful lot of legislation for us to get through. The important thing is that on the day we leave, people know exactly where they stand.

"I want to make sure people have that certainty."

Theresa May also admitted Britain is living in 'dangerous times' as she urged people to 'have faith' in the strength of Britain's counter-terrorism agencies.

The Prime Minister praised the work of the police and security services in the wake of the Westminster terror attack, which saw jihadi Khalid Masood murder four people including a police officer.

Speaking to the Shropshire Star, Mrs May said: "Our police and security services do an excellent job this country. Since June 2013 they have disrupted 13 terrorist plots. Sadly, as we saw last week an attack did take place and tragically, people lost their lives.

"They included a brave policeman who was helping to try and secure Parliament. This is something that our police and security services are working on 24 hours a day, every day of the week.

"They do it to keep people safe and secure. We musty have faith in the job they do.

"But we know these are dangerous times. We are nationally at a high threat level.

"It has been at 'severe' for some time, meaning an attack is highly likely.

"As we know these challenges are not just faced by the UK, they are faced right across continental Europe, as we have seen with the attacks that have taken place in the last few years in Belgium, France, Germany and Denmark, as well as elsewhere."

A total of 12 people were arrested following last Wednesday's atrocity near the Houses of Parliament. In the days following the attack counter terrorist officers raided a number of addresses in Birmingham, including a property in Winson Green.

Masood, who was also known as Adrian Elms and Adrian Russell Ajao, was shot dead after he had mowed down pedestrians on a pavement on Westminster Bridge and stabbed to death Pc Keith Palmer.