Theresa May triggers Article 50 and begins UK's departure from European Union

Pic:UK envoy Tim Barrow (left) hands Donald Tusk the letter giving Britain’s formal exit notice.
Political reporter(wp/es):
Theresa May has told Parliament that she accepts Brexit will carry consequences for the United Kingdom, as a letter delivered to Brussels began a two-year countdown to Britain’s departure from the European Union.

The prime minister took to her feet minutes after the European council president, Donald Tusk, confirmed that he had received notification, declaring that “the UK has delivered Brexit” nine months after a bruising referendum campaign.

“We understand that there will be consequences for the UK of leaving the EU. We know that we will lose influence over the rules that affect the European economy. We know that UK companies that trade with the EU will have to align with rules agreed by institutions of which we are no longer a part, just as we do in other overseas markets. We accept that,” she said.

A number of MPs congratulated the prime minister on the tone of her letter to Tusk, which stressed Britain’s commitment to the continent as a close friend and ally. But others accused her of issuing a “blatant threat” to withdraw security cooperation if the EU27 fails to deliver on a trade agreement. The letter suggests that the government hopes to roll the separate issues together, claiming no deal will mean WTO rules but also “mean our cooperation in the fight against crime and terrorism would be weakened”.

May’s spokesman repeatedly insisted placing security and trade relations alongside each other in the letter to Tusk was not intended as a threat. “It’s a simple statement of fact that if we leave the EU without a deal, then the arrangements we have as part of our EU membership will lapse,” he said.

The prime minister made clear that 29 March 2019 would be “a day of celebration for some and disappointment for others” – a point underlined as passionate campaigners on either side of the debate rose after her statement to put forward their arguments.

“The referendum last June was divisive at times. Not everyone shared the same point of view, or voted in the same way. The arguments on both side were passionate,” she said.

May insisted that her government accepted the repeated warnings from European leaders that Britain could not “cherry-pick” during EU negotiations – and that was why it would not be seeking to remain a full member of the single market.

She urged her European counterparts to help secure a “bold and ambitious free trade agreement” between the EU27 and the UK as she promised to approach the talks “constructively, respectfully, and in a spirit of sincere cooperation”. May stressed a number of times that she wanted a “new deep and special partnership” with the rest of the EU.

She made clear that in her eyes, there was now no way to stop the UK’s journey towards Brexit, which she said was her government acting on the “democratic will of the British people”.

“This is an historic moment from which there can be no turning back. Britain is leaving the European Union. We are going to make our own decisions and our own laws. We are going to take control of the things that matter most to us. And we are going to take this opportunity to build a stronger, fairer Britain – a country that our children and grandchildren are proud to call home,” said the prime minister, arguing that leaving the EU was both an “ambition and an opportunity”.

She warned that security in Europe was more fragile than at any time since the cold war, warning that any weakening of cooperation would be a “costly mistake”

Scotland backs Nicola Sturgeon's call for new UK vote

Pic:Nicola Sturgeon and Theresa May met for a chat on Monday ahead of Tuesday's vote. 
Political reporter(wp/es):

The Scottish Parliament has voted in favour of holding a second UK independence referendum.

MSPs voted 69 to 59 to back First Minister Nicola Surgeon to seek permission from the UK Government for a ballot to be held between autumn next year and spring 2019.

Ms Sturgeon's minority Scottish Government won the vote following an extended debate thanks to support from the Scottish Greens.

Prime Minister Theresa May has already said she will block another referendum while the Brexit process takes place, stating "now is not the time".

Holyrood’s vote means Ms Sturgeon now has a mandate to seek permission from Westminster to prepare for a referendum.

The last vote to leave or stay in the UK was in 2014 when Scotland chose to stay as part of the union.

But Ms Sturgeon says the circumstances of staying in the UK have since changed because of Brexit. Scotland voted strongly to remain in the bloc.

Ms Sturgeon said: "It is now the will of Scotland's democratically-elected national Parliament that discussions should begin with the UK Government to enable an independence referendum to be held.

"Today's vote must now be respected. The mandate for a referendum is beyond question, and it would be democratically indefensible - and utterly unsustainable - to attempt to stand in the way of it.

"We will now act on the mandate given to us by Parliament by making a formal approach to the UK Government within the next few days, after Article 50 has been triggered.

"This is, first and foremost, about giving the people of Scotland a choice on this country's future.

"The Prime Minister says that now is not the time for a referendum. I agree with that, which is why I have indicated a timescale no earlier than 18 months from now, when the terms of Brexit are clear - something the PM has now indicated she agrees with."

A UK Government spokeswoman said: "The Prime Minister has been clear that now is not the time for an independence referendum, and we will not be entering into negotiations on the Scottish Government's proposal.

"At this point, all our focus should be on our negotiations with the European Union, making sure we get the right deal for the whole of the UK.

"It would be unfair to the people of Scotland to ask them to make a crucial decision without the necessary information about our future relationship with Europe, or what an independent Scotland would look like.

"We have been joined together as one country for more than 300 years. We've worked together, we've prospered together, we've fought wars together, and we have a bright future. At this crucial time we should be working together, not pulling apart."

Woman, 97, dies after being hit by car in Finchley

Staff reporter(wp/es):

A 97-year-old woman has died after being hit by a car on a quiet residential road in north London.

The pensioner was rushed to hospital following the collision in Finchley but died from her injuries two days later.

The driver of the car stopped at the scene on Churchfield Avenue, off High Road, but was not arrested.

Police are now appealing for witnesses or anyone with information regarding the crash, which occurred at 9.43am on 23 March.

The victim’s family have been informed although formal identification is yet to take place.

The Met police said a postmortem examination will take place in due course.

Young man rushed to hospital after daylight stabbing outside Tesco Express

Crime reporter(wp/es):

A young man was rushed to hospital after being stabbed in broad daylight outside a Tesco Express in south-west London.

The victim, aged in his 20s, is thought to have been knifed by another male after an argument broke out on Garratt Lane in Earlsfield.

Police officers and paramedics were called to the scene at 5.40pm on Sunday.

The victim was taken to a south London hospital for treatment but police today revealed that his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.

The road was cordoned off and pictures from the scene showed police vehicles blocking traffic while officers investigated the crime scene.

Officers from Wandsworth CID are appealing for witnesses and information which could help them track down the alleged knifeman. There have not yet been any arrests.

Terrorism fears hit visitor numbers at London tourist attractions

Pic: London's most tourist attraction London eye. 
Staff reporter(wp/es):

Visitor numbers at some of London’s most popular tourist attractions plummeted last year over fears the city "might be next" for a terror attack.

It comes days after a horrific attack in the capital killed four and injured more than fifty as members of the public were mown by terrorist Khalid Masood on Westminster Bridge. 

Tourists were held inside carriages on the London Eye for three hours amid the attack as swathes of the Westminster was put on lockdown.

One million fewer people visited The British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum in 2016 compared with the previous year, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions (Alva).

Tourist attractions across the capital saw an overall increase of just 0.1 per cent, whereas the UK average growth across 241 sites was 7.2 per cent, including 15.6 per cent in Scotland.

Bernard Donoghue, director of Alva, said terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris and Nice had made some people reluctant to visit major cities.

He said: "There were some security fears about central London and city centre attractions, both on the part of overseas visitors and also UK domestic families.

"We did see a displacement out of central London for some people going to visitor attractions.

"Whilst there were some terrorism attacks on mainland continental Europe, there was also some concern among overseas visitors that London might be next."

It is also believed that the results in London were partly down to Southern Rail strikes, with research showing people from the south of England were concerned they wouldn't be able to get to the capital and back.

Mr Donoghue said that the UK referendum had a positive impact on visitor numbers as the fall in the value of sterling helped encourage a surge in visitors from September until the end of the year.

He added that there was “very little indication” that last week's attack in Westminster could lead to a cut in tourism trade in the capital.

Mr Donoghue said: "We've always been well regarded as being a safe destination and one that's always dealt well with security and terrorism concerns.

"All of our historical research indicates that if there's a one-off terrorist incident the market doesn't react at all, it's quite a muted reaction.

"There's much more significant reaction in cancellations if there's a similar sort of incident within a week or two weeks. Then you see a profoundly negative effect on tourism.

"So far we've seen very little indication of any cancellations or a fall in forward bookings to London and the UK."

The British Museum maintained its position as the most popular tourist attraction despite suffering a 5.9 per cent drop in visitors to 6.4 million, ahead of the National Gallery (up 6 per cent to 6.3 million) and the Tate Modern (up 23.9 per cent to 5.8 million).

The Royal Academy credited its 17 per cent increase to 1.3 million visitors to several exhibitions including Painting the Modern Garden: Monet to Matisse last spring.

A spokesman for VisitLondon said: “London continues to welcome record numbers of international visitors drawn by the capital’s world-renowned landmarks, culture and heritage.

"London’s visitor attractions recorded almost 67 million visits last year, almost half of the entire UK total, emphasising the importance of the capital to UK tourism.”

The 10 most popular visitor attractions in the UK last year and their percentage change in visitor numbers compared with 2015, according to the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions:

1. British Museum -5.9%

2. National Gallery +6%

3. Tate Modern +23.9%

4. Natural History Museum -12%

5. Southbank Centre -23% (The decrease was attributed to a partial closure of the venue due to refurbishment work)

6. Somerset House +6.4%

7. Science Museum -3.2%

8. Victoria and Albert Museum -12%

9. Tower of London -2%

10. Royal Museums Greenwich -0.2%

Westminster Bridge postponed after attack

Pic:Westminster Bridge
Staff reporter(wp/es):

Works aimed at making Westminster Bridge safer for pedestrians and cyclists have been postponed after last week's terror attack.

The bridge was due to get two protected bike lanes, while Transport for London (TfL) also planned a new pedestrian crossing on Westminster Bridge Road along with other improvements.

Once finished, the changes would see speed on the bridge cut back to 20mph.

Construction had been due to begin on Wednesday as part of a year-long project.

However, TfL revealed on Monday that the work was being placed on hold with no confirmed date yet for when it would start.

The decision was made in light of last week’s attack by extremist Khalid Masood, who mowed down pedestrians in a hire car before stabbing PC Keith Palmer to death outside Parliament.

Leon Daniels, Managing Director of Surface Transport at TfL, said: “Our thoughts remain with the families and friends of those affected by the terrorist incident in Westminster.

“Works on and around Westminster Bridge were due to start next week to improve the area for cyclists and pedestrians, but we have temporarily postponed this work while we engage with a range of key stakeholders, including parliamentary estates.”

Once completed, the lanes will link directly into the East-West cycle superhighway. 

Segregated lanes have already been introduced on Southwark, Blackfriars and Vauxhall bridges.

Robots will 'take over third of British jobs in next 15 years'

Pic: A robot at a 'Robots' exhibition at the Science Museum 

IT reporter(wp/es):

Almost a third of UK jobs could be taken over by robots during the next 15 years, a study has claimed.

The report by PwC found that around 10 million workers are at risk of being displaced by automated machines as the robot revolution gathers momentum.

But the research also said that new Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies could boost production and generate more human jobs.

The UK reportedly has fewer jobs at potential risk of automation than in other countries including Germany, the United States and Japan.

Jobs in transport and storage, manufacturing and retail are most likely to be taken by robots, while the lowest risk jobs are teachers, health and social workers, the report said.

John Hawksworth, chief economist at PwC, said: "A key driver of our industry-level estimates is the fact that manual and routine tasks are more susceptible to automation, while social skills are relatively less automatable.

"That said, no industry is entirely immune from future advances in robotics and AI.

"Automating more manual and repetitive tasks will eliminate some existing jobs, but could also enable some workers to focus on higher value, more rewarding and creative work, removing the monotony from our day jobs.”

Employment Minister Damian Hinds said: "We have a resilient and diverse labour market in the UK, demonstrated by the latest record-breaking figures showing more people in work than ever before.

"Whether it's in cyberspace or on the shop floor, advances in technology bring new jobs. It's only right that we embrace these opportunities, support new skills and help more people get into employment to secure a workforce of the future."