Ian Milne

A declaration of independence?

The British electorate, in a referendum held on Thursday 19th June 2014, votes to leave the EU. On Monday, 23 June 2014, the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition send the following joint letter to the President of the EU Council, the President of the Commission and the heads of state and government of the other twenty-six EU member states.


Dear Herman, José-Manuel, Angela, Nicolas, Silvio etc. etc. …,

UK Resumption of Sovereignty

On 19 June 2014, in a referendum, the British electorate voted decisively to leave the European Union. Her Majesty the Queen, in her capacity as Head of State of the United Kingdom, consented to her Government’s decision to implement the democratically-expressed choice of the British people.

The purpose of this letter is to let you know how the implementation of the electorate’s decision by Her Majesty’s Government will affect the principal strands of the relationship between the EU and the UK. This letter also constitutes the United Kingdom’s official notification of its decision to withdraw
from the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union (as amended by the ‘Lisbon Treaty’). 

Although the British people have now chosen to pursue a different path from that of the other member states of the EU, we wish to emphasise that the centuries-old objective of our policy, of constructive friendship and cooperation with our European neighbours, remains unchanged. A strong, prosperous and peaceful Europe will continue to be a central aim of British policy, and from today onwards we look forward to developing with our European friends and allies a modus operandi which will further that objective.
 
1. Timing
The United Kingdom will become an independent sovereign state and cease to be a member of the EU and its institutions and agencies exactly two years from now, on 23 June 2016, referred to hereinafter as I-Day.



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