Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Brexit: Theresa May buys painting showing moment she signed Article 50 letter

The missive was hand-delivered to Brussels to notify the EU of Britain's plans to leave the bloc

Political Correspondent

Sunday 01 April 2018 00:49 BST

✕

What is still needed to complete a deal with the EU?

Theresa May has paid out of her own pocket for a painting that depicts the symbolic moment of her signing a letter to begin the Brexit process.

The portrait of the prime minister notifying Brussels of her decision to trigger Article 50, which formally began the two-year countdown to Britain’s departure from the EU, was given to Ms May by Tory peer Lord Moynihan, according to the official register.

Painted by artist James Drake, it depicts Ms May seated at a desk in Downing Street, penning the historic missive to European Council president Donald Tusk last year.

The painting was valued at £250, meaning Ms May had to pay £110 to keep the painting so she could hang it in her private quarters, according to Downing Street.

Under the government’s ethics code, there is an £140 limit on gifts before ministers have to pay to keep them.

Lord Moynihan, a former Olympic rower and ex-minister, arranged for the picture to be presented to Ms May, who attended Oxford University with him in the 1970s.

He told the Daily Telegraph that the painting was a "remarkable" work which demonstrated "strength, empathy and respect" for the prime minister.

Lord Moynihan said "James Drake is a close friend. He approached me to say he had painted the Prime Minister and asked me to ensure she received the painting as a gift.

"I understand she very much likes the way in which he has captured this historic moment.”

Ms May signed the six-page letter triggering Article 50 on March 28 last year, before it was taken to Brussels on March 29 and handed to Sir Tim Barrow, the UK's ambassador to the EU, to deliver to Mr Tusk.

Later, it emerged that the historic letter had travelled to Brussels in first class on a Eurostar train, accompanied by two civil servants.

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Show all 8

1/8The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Post-Brexit immigration

workers sorting radishes on a production line at a farm in Norfolk. One possible post-Brexit immigration scheme could struggle to channel workers towards less attractive roles - while another may heighten the risk of labour exploitation, a new report warns.

PA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Customs union

A key point in the negotiations remains Britain's access to, or withdrawal from, the EU customs union. Since the referendum there has been hot debate over the meaning of Brexit: would it entail a full withdrawal from the existing agreement, known as hard Brexit, or the soft version in which we would remain part of a common customs area for most goods, as Turkey does? No 10 has so far insisted that “Brexit means Brexit” and that Britain will be leaving the customs union, but may be inclined to change its position once the potential risks to the UK’s economic outlook become clearer.

Alamy

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Northern Ireland-Irish border

Though progress was made last year, there has still been no solid agreement on whether there should be a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. To ensure borderless travel on the island, the countries must be in regulatory alignment and therefore adhere to the same rules as the customs union. In December, the Conservative Party’s coalition partners, the DUP, refused a draft agreement that would place the UK/EU border in the Irish Sea due to its potential to undermine the union. May has promised that would not be the case and has suggested that a “specific solution” would need to be found.

Getty

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Transition period

Despite protests from a small number of Conservative MPs, the Government and the EU are largely in agreement that a transitional period is needed after Brexit. The talks, however, have reached an impasse. Though May has agreed that the UK will continue to contribute to the EU budget until 2021, the PM wants to be able to select which laws made during this time the UK will have to adhere to. Chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the UK must adopt all of the laws passed during the transition, without any input from British ministers or MEPs.

EPA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Rights of EU citizens living the UK

The Prime Minister has promised EU citizens already living in the UK the right to live and work here after Brexit, but the rights of those who arrive after Brexit day remains unclear. May insists that those who arrive during the transition period should not be allowed to stay, whereas the EU believe the cut-off point should be later.

Getty

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Future trade agreement (with the EU)

Despite this being a key issue in negotiations, the Government has yet to lay out exactly what it wants from a trade deal with the EU. Infighting within the Cabinet has prevented a solid position from being reached, with some MPs content that "no deal is better than a bad deal" while others rally behind single market access. The EU has already confirmed that access to the single market would be impossible without the UK remaining in the customs union.

Getty

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Future trade agreements (internationally)

The Government has already begun trying to woo foreign leaders into prospective trade agreements, with various high profile state visits to China, India and Canada for May, and the now infamous invitation to US President Donald Trump to visit London. However the UK cannot make trade agreements with another country while it is still a member of the EU, and the potential loss of trade with the world's major powers is a source of anxiety for the PM. The EU has said the UK cannot secure trade deals during the transition period.

EPA

The biggest issues facing UK on leaving EU

Financial services

Banks in the UK will be hit hard regardless of the Brexit outcome. The EU has refused to give British banks passporting rights to trade within the EU, dashing hopes of a special City deal. However according to new reports Germany has suggested allowing trade on the condition that the UK continues paying into the EU budget even after the transition period.

Getty

The total cost of delivering the letter was £985.50, including a £1.50 per person booking fee, according to a freedom of information request to the Foreign Office.

The letter did not get its own seat.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies