UK Prime Minister Theresa May is likely to trigger the formal process of leaving the European Union early next year, according to a top EU official.
European Council President Donald Tusk said Mrs May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.
The BBC says this is the clearest sign yet of when the two-year withdrawal process may start.
Mrs May’s office said it would not be launched this year, but did not confirm Mr Tusk’s account.
Formal negotiations over the withdrawal cannot begin until the UK triggers Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, the formal mechanism for leaving the union.
