Theresa May

The PM's announcement on triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty - which begins the formal negotiation process - means the UK looks set to leave the EU by the summer of 2019.

Mrs May also promised a bill to remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book.

She said this would make the UK an "independent, sovereign nation".

The repeal of the 1972 Act will not take effect until the UK leaves the EU under Article 50.

It will remove the European Communities Act 1972 from the statute book and end the supremacy in Britain of EU law.

The government will also enshrine all existing EU law into British law and anything deemed unnecessary will be abolished later.

Her pledge comes as the Conservatives gather for their annual conference.

The repeal of the 1972 Act will not take effect until the UK leaves the EU under the process for quitting the bloc known as Article 50.

Mrs May has previously said she will not start the formal process of leaving the EU until next year.

European Council President Donald Tusk said Mrs May had told him the UK could be ready to begin talks by February.

The BBC's Tom Bateman 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.

The same could be said about the post-referendum debate. The phrase "Brexit means Brexit" has seen the government through the summer, but has now reached the end of its usefulness.

It was designed to persuade doubting Remainers that the UK really will leave the EU, something Theresa May was once again forced to confirm during her news conference with President Obama here in China.

But over the months the slogan has inverted into something different, a symbol of the government's uncertainty about what Brexit will actually mean for our relationship with the EU.

Speaking to the Andrew Marr Show - in her first major interview since taking office - Mrs May warned Brexit would not be "plain sailing" for the UK.

She said formal EU talks will not begin until 2017, but vowed the process would not be "kicked into the long grass".

Mrs May also ruled out a snap general election, as the UK needs "stability".

The former home secretary became prime minister after David Cameron resigned in the wake of the EU referendum - with the Brexit process likely to dominate the first years of her premiership.

The pair are expected to discuss the fallout of June's Brexit vote.

The future of the Tata Steel plant in Port Talbot, where more than 4,000 jobs are at risk, is also on the agenda.

Mr Jones previously admitted he knows "very little" about Mrs May but hopes she would be able to deliver an improved devolution settlement.

Speaking ahead of the visit, she said: "In my first statement as prime minister I made clear how strongly I believe in the union.

'Vital' steel industry

That's three of the world's biggest economies and two of the most important financial institutions. There's also the reasonable possibility of a woman becoming the new UN Secretary General.

Obviously we don't yet know about either the US or the UN, but let's have a bit of fun and imagine for a moment a world run by women. Or at least a significant chunk of the world, including the other 22 women who run countries - in which we include monarchs, presidents and prime ministers.

What does it actually mean? What actually changes if women are in those top jobs?

The prime minister said Britain stood "shoulder to shoulder" with France after a lorry drove into a crowd killing at least 84 and injuring 50.

Downing Street says a "small number" of Britons were injured in Nice.

The attack was of "an undeniable terrorist nature", French President Francois Hollande has said.

UK police forces are reviewing security at major events over the next week.

Leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson said he was "humbled" having been named new foreign secretary, in one of Mrs May's first cabinet appointments.

Philip Hammond became chancellor, Amber Rudd is home secretary, and Eurosceptic David Davis is new Brexit secretary.

Mrs May later told European leaders she was committed to the UK leaving the EU.

He replaces Philip Hammond, who becomes chancellor. Ex-Energy Secretary Amber Rudd is home secretary and Eurosceptic David Davis is the Brexit secretary.

Ex-chancellor George Osborne was fired, the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said.

On arriving at Downing Street, Mrs May vowed to lead a government that works for all, not just the "privileged few".

The UK's second female prime minister promised to give people who were "just managing" and "working around the clock" more control over their lives.