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Britain Officially Starts Withdrawal from European

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Theresa May on Brexit

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British Prime Minister Teresa May has officially started the process for Britain to
leave the European Union (EU).

May sent a letter to European Council President Donald Tusk on Wednesday. The
move put Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon into effect.

The treaty is an international agreement on which the EU is based. Article 50 deals

with how a member country can withdraw from the organization.

Mays letter noted the historic nationwide vote on EU membership last year. It said
the British people had not voted to harm the European Union or any of the
remaining member states.

EU Council President Donald Tusk, right, gets British Prime Minister Theresa May's formal
notice to leave the bloc under Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty from UK Permanent
Representative to the EU Tim Barrow in Brussels, Wednesday, March 29, 2017.

The letter went on to say that Britain wanted the EU to succeed and explained that
the election result was an effort to restore national self-determination.

By informing the EU of its decision, Britain now starts two years of negotiations
between the two sides. Talks on security, business, defense, health, the environment
and other issues are expected to be complex.

The process started on June 23, 2016, when Britons decided in a close referendum
vote to leave the EU.

Then-prime minister David Cameron had promised to hold the referendum, but had
campaigned for Britain to stay an EU member. Cameron resigned after the vote.

Some observers say the votes outcome resulted partly from feelings that the EU
government was taking too much control away from British citizens.

People in London and Scotland voted to stay in the EU, while other areas supported
a British exit, commonly called Brexit.

Little agreement on how long Brexit will take

Few Britons and political observers agree on what Brexit will mean for Britain and its
partners.

Jo Murkens of the London School of Economics says most people do agree the
process will be disorderly and take more than two years.

He said, The effect of European Union law is all pervasive from constitutional-
level questions to the regulation of bananas and cucumbers. So, it is a mammoth
task that will not be negotiated within two years. It will take a decade or decades to
give full effect to EU withdrawal.
London's Mayor Sadiq Khan.

One day before May invoked Article 50, Londons Mayor Sadiq Khan called on
European leaders not to punish Britain. He said that London would remain an
important city, especially as a financial center, after Brexit.

He said, The truth is that London will always remain a key partner for Brussels and
every European nation long after Brexit is resolved.

Khan warned against a bad Brexit deal. He said such an agreement would cut off the
EU from its only truly international financial center and risk losing financial services
companies to New York, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Londons mayor also said the perfect gesture of goodwill would be for the
government to guarantee that EU citizens would remain in Britain.

Seliq Khan is the first Muslim mayor of a major western city. He has launched a
campaign bringing attention to how London continues to welcome foreigners and
businesses.

Im Jonathan Evans.

Luis Ramirez reported this story for VOA News. Mario Ritter adapted it for
Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

referendum n. when the people of a country or state vote on a particular law or

issue
pervasive adj. existing in every part of something

mammoth adj. very large

gesture n. something said or done that shows a feeling or attitude

exit n. the act of going away or leaving; a way out

outcome n. result

restore v. to re-establish

determination n. the act of deciding something firmly

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