Former Cabinet Minister throws down the gauntlet to Theresa May on Brexit and calls on her to trigger Article 50 within weeks
John Whittingdale says there is no reason to delay kickstarting official EU exit process
A FORMER Cabinet Minister has thrown down the gauntlet to Theresa May on Brexit, calling for the Prime Minister to trigger Article 50 within weeks.
Ex-Culture Secretary John Whittingdale says there is no reason to delay kickstarting the official exit process of the EU.
The leading Vote Leave campaigner said today: “Article 50 is the beginning of the process rather than the end.”
He added: “We do need to get the formal process under way. I don’t say that it has to happen tomorrow but I would like it to happen pretty soon, and by that I mean weeks, not months.”
The PM has vowed not to invoke Article 50 process this year — to the worry of Brexit campaigners.
Mr Whittingdale’s intervention comes as Boris Johnson took the unusual step of helping launch a pressure group aimed at ensuring Brexit really does mean Brexit.
The Foreign Secretary has thrown his weight behind the Change Britain campaign, which is led by his former Vote Leave colleague Labour MP Gisela Stuart.
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As revealed by the Sun on Sunday, Mr Johnson said the group would make sure that the UK gained control over “laws, borders, money and trade” as part of the process of leaving the EU.
Although he is at the centre of Brexit negotiations, in a video for the group BoJo claimed: “No longer will a skilled person from outside the EU be denied the same opportunities as someone from inside the EU.”
He added: “No longer will a British Govt be incapable of controlling immigration.”
In an interview with the Telegraph, Mr Whittingdale also revealed how he had spent his summer since leaving the Cabinet when Mrs May took over Number 10.
The 56 year old MP for Maldon, Essex said: “I went clubbing in Ibiza... It was great.”
He explained: “Dance music in a club is as much about the light show, the atmosphere and the volume as the music itself.
Adding: “If you listen to it in your car it’s not quite the same.”
