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SEBASTIAN PAYNE: This week, the government's Brexit plans became clearer as the Supreme Court ruled on article 50, while Mrs. May went to Washington.
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On Tuesday, the UK Supreme Court delivered a landmark verdict. Parliament must pass legislation for Article 50. The formal process for leaving the EU can be triggered. The government quickly accepted this judgement and began whipping up a simple act of parliament for MPs and peers to vote on.
The challenge now for Theresa May is one of timing. She needs to pass the bill as swiftly as possible so she doesn't miss her self-imposed deadline of invoking Article 50 by the end of March. Now conservative MPs of all shades are prepared to put aside their different views on Brexit to fulfil the will of the people in last year's referendum and get it through.
But the opposition parties have other ideas. Labour wants to attach an amendment to force Mrs. may to ensure the UK has tariff-free access to the single market. The Liberal Democrats would like to force another referendum on Brexit while the SNP want a special deal for Scotland. These amendments will be hotly contested, as the government will not want to have a legislative straitjacket around the negotiations.
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The latest GDP figures confirmed there has been no slowdown in the economy after last year's vote to leave the EU. In 2016, the UK grew by 2% and the last quarter alone 0.6%. Many economists predicted that after the vote for Brexit, confidence would be shaken and growth would slow down.
That does not seem to have been the case. Much of the UK's growth was buoyed by strong consumer spending and services too. But it is worth noting that manufacturing was stagnant for most of last year. Overall though, it's a rosy picture. The UK was the fastest growing advanced economy in 2016.
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Theresa May has jetted off to the United States this week to meet Donald Trump. It is a difficult trip for the prime minister, one of her first major expeditions to meet world leaders one-to-one. It is a bonus that she is the first foreign leader to meet the new American president, but his hardline views make her job tricky.
While in Washington, Mrs. may will want to talk up the prospect of a UK-US free trade deal. But she will also be questioned on President Trump's views on torture and whether she agrees with them. So the prime minister is right to pursue the opportunities, but she's dealing with a volatile character and will have to tread carefully.
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