Question to the Department for Exiting the European Union :

To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what criteria his Department has drawn up that must be satisfied before the Government activates Article 50.

The process for leaving the EU and determining our future relationship will be a complex one, so we need to take time to think through our objectives and approach. We want to ensure the best possible outcome for Britain and the future UK-EU relationship. The Prime Minister has said she will not trigger Article 50 until we have a UK approach and objectives, and Article 50 should therefore not be invoked before the end of this year.