The UK is to issue special coins, fly the Union Flag and project a countdown clock on the walls of Downing Street — but not bong Big Ben — on Brexit night, the British government said on Friday.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson would also deliver a special address to the nation, his office said, ending days of debate about how to mark the country’s delayed departure from the EU.
“January 31st is a significant moment in our history as the United Kingdom leaves the EU and regains its independence,” a government statement said. “The government intends to use this as a moment to heal divisions, reunite communities and look forward to the country that we want to build over the next decade.”
Photo: AFP
Brexit supporters are crowdfunding a campaign to get Big Ben — mostly silent since 2017 as its clock tower undergoes restoration work — to strike at 11pm when Brexit finally happens.
It had raised almost half of the £500,000 (US$650,775) it could cost to get the clock’s ringing devices reinstalled and the floor supporting its workers set back up.
The idea has infuriated those who voted against Brexit in the 2016 EU membership referendum, and the British government has distanced itself from the campaign after initially coming out in strong support.
Instead, plans were laid out for what it said would be “a clock counting down to 11pm projected onto the black bricks of Downing Street.”
Her Majesty’s Treasury would also release commemorative Brexit coins reading: “Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations.”
Johnson, who was one of the Brexit campaign figureheads in 2016, “is expected to be one of the first to receive the new coin on the day,” the British government said.
His team was reportedly forced to melt down the coins prepared for Oct. 31 last year — the day Johnson originally promised to deliver Brexit after coming to power in July that year.
It had already been delayed twice by then, costing former British prime minister Theresa May her job.
Looking past Brexit, the Cabinet is to hold a special meeting on Jan. 31 at a still-undisclosed location in the north of England, which formed the bedrock of Brexit support.
The Conservative Party won over the north’s traditionally Labour voters as it stormed to victory in a snap general election last month.
The British government is now focused on locking in those votes for the coming years by spending more on regional development programs.
Talks to thrash out a new trade deal between London and Brussels are due to begin by early March, once the formal divorce is in place.
However, first, Johnson must temper the anger of Brexit supporters who rallied around his call on Tuesday to crowdfund “a Big Ben bong,” which is estimated to cost £50,000 a peal.
“It’s ridiculous, isn’t it? The prime minister said: ‘If the people can raise the money then it can happen,’” Brexit Party Chairman Richard Tice said. “And now, grungy bureaucrats in the House of Parliament said: Oh no, that’s all a bit scary, even if you raise the money you can’t spend it on a state asset. It’s ridiculous.”
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