Reuters research: UK’s lower house would back triggering European Union divorce talks

After repeatedly refusing to outline its Brexit negotiating strategy, a government spokeswoman denied that the amend signalled a U-turn.

In an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May, nine leading UK-based technology entrepreneurs and investors, including Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, pressed the government to act to ensure a continued flow of skilled migrants after Britain leaves the European Union.

“Time is short”, he said.

Barnier, who made his first public speech on the issue, was appointed to the post of chief Brexit negotiator on October 1 by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.

The government is now fighting a legal challenge at the Supreme Court to stop parliament having the final say on a decision to trigger Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which would begin formal exit negotiations.

At a press conference in Brussels, Mr Barnier said he was determined that the Brexit negotiations would find a way to preserve the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, for which he played a leading role in gaining European Union support.

The French politician called for an orderly withdrawal and said he had used the past two months since his appointment to prepare for complex negotiations with the UK.

Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, told reporters in Brussels that there might be “some point” to granting British industries a period to adjust to the new arrangements after Brexit, but that would depend on a permanent trade plan being agreed. We are ready. ready to start tomorrow, he repeatedly said.

Jeroen Dijsselbloem, the Dutch finance minister who chairs meetings of the 19 European Union countries that use the euro, said proposals he’s seen so far “are incompatible with smooth and incompatible with orderly”.

A British-Muslim activist on Tuesday launched legal action against the United Kingdom government’s anti- extremism strategy after he was labelled a “non-violent extremist”.

Responding to Mr. Barnier’s remarks, a spokesman for Mrs.

But resisting Mr Barnier’s pressure, Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson insisted the timetable that Mrs May laid out was “absolutely adequate”.

Recent statements from Brexit Minister David Davis suggested that there might be a softening on the stance of paying into the European Union to retain some access to the single market.

On Tuesday, however, May indicated that she would publish her Brexit plan before launching formal exit talks. “I can only say what Brexit is”.

“The focus is now where it should be: on the terms upon which we exit the EU”, Keir Starmer, Labour’s Brexit spokesman, said in a statement.

Her finance minister Philip Hammond, who was also in Brussels Tuesday for talks with his counterparts, confirmed that Britain could continue to pay for access to some parts of the single market. “We have always said we would come forth with more detail as we near the moment of triggering Article 50”, she said.

In return, most are expected to vote for a compromise Government amendment in the Commons on Wednesday, which states that Mrs May should invoke Article 50 by April to start the process of leaving the EU.

A Downing Street spokesman said the amendment was a separate issue to the Supreme Court hearing now underway which will decide if Parliament must approve Brexit before Article 50 is triggered. The Supreme Court is hearing an appeal by the government.