Theresa May signs Article 50 letter to trigger Brexit, by Faisal Islam.

The Prime Minister will formally launch the process for the UK to leave the European Union in a letter that will be hand delivered to European Council President Donald Tusk at around 12.30pm. …

She will not comply with the wishes of her Brexiteer backbenchers who wanted to name the Article 50 date as a cut off for newly-arrived EU citizens to gain rights such as permanent residence. Some Conservative MPs are concerned about a surge in the number of EU migrants. However, on Tuesday the European Commission, Council and Parliament signalled that “EU law must apply until Brexit day” in two years’ time.

Brendan O’Neill comments:

What’s amazing is the patience and dignity of Brexit voters.

For nine months the political elite raged against them, ridiculed them, demonised them; branded them racist, destructive, “low information”; dragged their democratic choice to the courts in the hope that some clever judge would declare it illegitimate; took to the streets to call them idiots and buffoons and unwitting slaves of demagoguery; held them responsible for economic downturn and a return of fascism; declared them unfit for serious public life, which is apparently best left to experts.

And yet Brexit voters didn’t go mad or riot or crumble. They stuck to their principles (an amazing 96% say they’d vote for Brexit again) and patiently waited for their political choice to be acted upon. They kept their faith in democracy.

They behaved liked the free-willed, autonomous adults that democracy needs in order to work and thrive.