Happy Article 50 day. The day is finally upon us. The Prime Minister has signed the letter which will trigger Article 50 and begin Britain’s exit from the EU. After PMQs, Theresa May will make a statement to MPs while Tim Barrow, the UK’s Brussels diplomat, will hand deliver the letter to Donald Tusk. Once May has formally triggered Article 50, the EU 27 are expected to release a statement in response — promising to approach the Brexit negotiations ‘constructively’.
But before Brexiteers pop open the champagne, Philip Hammond has appeared on the Today programme to give an interview that will bring many back down to earth. The Chancellor — who is regarded by some Leavers as overly pessimistic — struck a serious tone as he insisted that he was ‘excited’ about Brexit. Discussing what the future deal could look like, Hammond ruled out remaining in the customs union but said he was confident an arrangement could still be made that would allow frictionless borders:
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