UK government has no intention of revoking Article 50: PM May's spokesman

[February 20, 2017]  LONDON (Reuters) - The British government has no intention of revoking its withdrawal from the European Union once the formal exit process has been triggered, Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said on Monday.

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May smiles during her meeting with French Prime Minister Bernard Cazeneuve inside 10 Downing Street, London, Britain, February 17, 2017. REUTERS/Tim Ireland/Pool

May plans to trigger Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon Treaty by the end of March, beginning up to two years of divorce talks.

Lawyers for the government have said that, once started, the process is irrevocable, but some EU leaders say Britain can change its mind and a legal challenge to determine whether it can be reversed has been filed with an Irish court.

"We have no intention of revoking Article 50," the spokesman told reporters.

"The British people were very clear (that) they want us to leave the European Union. Article 50 is the mechanism by which we start that process, so this government is very clear that it will deliver on the result of that referendum."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Piper, Writing by Kylie MacLellan; editing by Stephen Addison)

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