Countdown clock to illuminate Downing Street on Brexit Day

London, Jan. 18 (IANS): A clock counting down to the moment the UK leaves the European Union (EU) on January 31 will be projected on to the Downing Street as part of government plans to mark Brexit Day, it was reported on Saturday.

The clock will tick down to 11 p.m., while Prime Minister Boris Johnson will give a “special” address to the nation in the evening, the BBC reported citing the Downing Street as saying in a statement. A special 50p coin will also enter circulation to mark the occasion.

The Downing Street statement also said that the Prime Minister will chair a cabinet meeting in the north of England during the day, to discuss spreading “prosperity and opportunity”. Johnson is expected to be one of the first people to receive one of the newly-minted 50p coins, which will bear the motto “peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations”.

Buildings around Whitehall will be lit up to mark Brexit, with the government saying that, “in response to public calls, the Union Jack will be flown on all of the flag poles in Parliament Square”.

The government added that it would use the “significant moment in our history” to “heal divisions, re-unite communities and look forward to the country that we want to build over the next decade”.

It was however, not certain whether Big Ben, which is currently out of action due to renovation work going on at the Houses of Parliament, will chime to mark the moment the UK leaves the EU.

Earlier this week, Johnson told the BBC that he wanted the public to raise funds to ensure this can happen. The House of Commons Commission estimates the cost will be up to 500,000 pounds, and it has raised concerns over using donations to fund the project.

But the campaign group ‘Stand Up 4 Brexit’ set up an online appeal to raise the money, collecting more than 200,000 pounds by Friday evening.