BREXIT begins: "This is historic moment from which there can be no turning back"

British Prime Minister Theresa May has formally begun the process of the UK leaving the European Union, by sending a letter of intent to European Council President Donald Tusk, triggering Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon and paving the way for the biggest political upheaval in the EU's history.

Nine months after Britain voted to leave the EU in a referendum, June 23, 2016, May has fired the starting pistol on the negotiations on Britain leaving the EU and finding a new relationship with the remaining 27 members post-Brexit.

​In her letter to Tusk, May wrote: "The United Kingdom wants to agree with the European Union a deep and special partnership that takes in both economic and security cooperation. To achieve this, we believe it is necessary to agree the terms of our future partnership alongside those of our withdrawal from the EU.

"We want to be able to agree...