Big Ben will not sound goodbye to the European Union. Fundraising failed, but there is no lack of demonstrations, for and against, on the last day of the UK in the European project.
Brexit will be marked with a message from the British Prime Minister. Boris Johnson will address the nation with a speech recorded in advance and which will be broadcast at 10 pm, in which he will promote the idea that the country has a unique opportunity to develop its full potential.
“Our job as a government – my job – is to unite this country and move us forward. And the most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end, but a beginning. It is the moment when the dawn opens and the curtain rises for a new act. It is a moment of real national renewal and change “, he will say, according to an excerpt released by the prime minister ‘s office.
On the exterior wall of the official residence building Downing Street will have a light installation, including a countdown clock until 11 pm (local and GMT, midnight in Brussels), official time of departure from the EU.
Government buildings in the Westminster area will be lit up and national flags will be raised around Parliament Square, where, on the sidelines of the official celebrations, the “Leave Means Leave” movement, Nigel Farage, who campaigned for “Brexit”, was allowed to have a party from 9 pm to 11.15 pm.
No authorization to launch fireworks, play music or sell alcohol, the celebration will be marked by a series of speeches, namely by Farage himself, the owner of the Wetherspoons pub network, Tim Martin, broadcaster Julia Hartley-Brewer and former Brexit Party MEP Ann Widdecombe, among others.
No Big Ben at the British Big Bang
Brexit Party President Richard Tice suggested the possibility that the sound system could be used to reproduce the ringtones of Big Ben, the emblematic clock on the Parliament tower, which is under repair.
A campaign to finance the suspension of the works so that he could play raised some 270,000 pounds (320,000 euros) in less than two weeks, with donations from 56 countries, but parliament rejected the idea.
The day will also be marked by entry into circulation of a special edition of three million 50 pence coins, with the inscription “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”.
During the morning, the government will meet outside London, in Sunderland, in northern England, chosen because it was the first city to declare support for “Brexit” in the 2016 referendum.
In a less festive tone, the New Europeans group has launched an appeal for candles to be lit all over Europe and to participate in a vigil tonight at the Europe House, near Westminster, the EU representation in London, in order to remember the need to protect citizens from Europeans and Britons.
– .
