Britain’s Cameron To Face EU Leaders After Brexit Vote
MEP: British Prime Minister David Cameron is heading to Brussels to meet with EU leaders for the first time on Tuesday since Britons voted to leave the league.
Cameron is expected to discuss the implications of the Brexit vote and the way ahead at an EU summit.
The leaders of Germany, France and Italy already agreed on the eve of the summit in Brussels that there could be no talks on Britain’s relations with the group until after it has formally notified the European Union of its intention to leave by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.
Under EU rules, the UK would have two years to negotiate the terms of its divorce from the EU once it has triggered Article 50.
Meanwhile, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has called for a second referendum over the terms of the UK’s departure.
Another group of 27 leaders will gather for the first time without Cameron on Wednesday morning to plan their next moves.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has appeared to take a softer line on Britain’s decision than some European leaders, said she had “neither a brake nor an accelerator” to control events, adding: “We just don’t want an impasse.”
The result of the UK’s referendum creates huge political uncertainty and will put pressure on global growth, the International Monetary Fund’s Deputy Managing Director Zhu Min has said.
It also continued to reverberate through financial markets, with the pound falling to its lowest level in 31 years, despite government attempts to relieve some of the confusion about the political and economic outlook.
A British government source was quoted by France24, said ahead of the meeting that Cameron will reiterate his position that beginning Britain’s extraction from the EU is a job for his successor.
“He will want to encourage people to think about how both the UK and the EU needs to work now to make the best of the decision that the British people have taken,” the source added.
The British government source suggested that Cameron will go to Brussels with the view that Britain is still a full EU member – despite its decision to leave, a position that may ruffle some feathers.
“I think he (Cameron) will want to make clear that as we approach these discussions the UK remains a full member of the EU as it currently stands, therefore it is down to the UK to respect its obligations but the UK should also continue to enjoy its full rights as a member too,” the British government source said.
“I think he will want to underline the importance of the economic relationship both in our interests and the interests of the European member states,” the source added.
