THE triggering of Article 50 should be a day of celebration and optimism and not despair and protest, leading Leave campaigners have said.

Labour councillor Tom Bewick and former Conservative MP Sir Andrew Bowden, the orchestrators of the Brighton and Hove Leave campaign, said the day should signal the time for the whole country to come together to work on a future outside of the EU.

Theresa May’s historic letter to European Council president Donald Tusk signalling the beginning of the two-year process of the UK leaving the EU was met with further protests outside Hove Town Hall last night.

Green MP Caroline Lucas said the fight had now started to preserve free movement, the environment and workers while Hove MP Peter Kyle called on the Prime Minister to give assurances for businesses and residents “extremely anxious” about Brexit.

The Prime Minister said the letter was “an historic moment from which there can be no turning back”.

The six-page letter, signed in ink by the Prime Minister, was hand-delivered to Mr Tusk in his Brussels office by UK permanent representative Sir Tim Barrow at around 12.20pm, just minutes before Mrs May made a statement to MPs on her plans.

Cllr Bewick said: “June 23 or 24 should be a future bank holiday rather than March 29 which after all is a procedural mechanism but it is still a great relief.

“It really is time the whole country moved on from the referendum last June and stopped thinking about ourselves in terms of Remainers and Leavers, a lot of that language has been unhelpful and divisive.

“Brighton and Hove has already felt the benefit of the fall in the pound which has resulted in more tourism.

“I think now is the time for this city to project its positive identity globally to the emerging economies of South America, India and China and not just to our European neighbours.”

Sir Andrew said: “It is a remarkable day in the country’s long and great history and I do hope and believe the vast majority of British people, whatever their views on the referendum, will unite behind the Prime Minister and our Government to help obtain an agreement and ensure we leave on good terms.”