Hong&nbsp;Kong&#39;s&nbsp;Chief&nbsp;Executive&nbsp;Leung&nbsp;Chunying led&nbsp;a&nbsp;ceremony on Friday to mark the 19th anniversary of the territory&#39;s handover from British to Chinese rule,&nbsp;while&nbsp;dozens&nbsp;of&nbsp;protesters&nbsp;indulged&nbsp;into&nbsp;a&nbsp;scuffle&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;police&nbsp;near&nbsp;the&nbsp;venue. 
 
The&nbsp;celebration&nbsp;came&nbsp;as&nbsp;political&nbsp;tensions&nbsp;between&nbsp;Beijing&nbsp;and&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;run&nbsp;high,&nbsp;after&nbsp;a Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;bookseller&nbsp;said&nbsp;he&nbsp;was&nbsp;abducted 
by&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;authority&nbsp;along&nbsp;with&nbsp;five&nbsp;others. 
 
At&nbsp;a&nbsp;cocktail&nbsp;reception&nbsp;on&nbsp;Friday,&nbsp;Chief&nbsp;Executive&nbsp;Leung&nbsp;Chunying&nbsp;said&nbsp;the&nbsp;government&nbsp;will&nbsp;keep&nbsp;hold&nbsp;onto&nbsp;the&nbsp;basic&nbsp;principles&nbsp;that 
underline&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;rule&nbsp;and&nbsp;enhance&nbsp;communication&nbsp;with&nbsp;Beijing.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Based&nbsp;on&nbsp;what&nbsp;we&nbsp;have&nbsp;had,&nbsp;setting&nbsp;the&nbsp;stage&nbsp;for&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;people&nbsp;of&nbsp;different&nbsp;political&nbsp;beliefs&nbsp;and&nbsp;central&nbsp;government&nbsp;to&nbsp;have&nbsp;better 
communication,&nbsp;interaction&nbsp;and&nbsp;cooperation.&nbsp;And&nbsp;deepen&nbsp;the&nbsp;win-win&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;between&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;and&nbsp;mainland&nbsp;China,&quot;&nbsp;Leung&nbsp;said. 
 
Hong&nbsp;Kong&#39;s&nbsp;leader&nbsp;said&nbsp;on&nbsp;Tuesday&nbsp;he&nbsp;had&nbsp;asked&nbsp;China&nbsp;whether&nbsp;its&nbsp;handling&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;booksellers&nbsp;case&nbsp;violated&nbsp;the&nbsp;&quot;one&nbsp;country,&nbsp;two 
systems&quot;&nbsp;formula&nbsp;under&nbsp;which&nbsp;the&nbsp;city&nbsp;returned&nbsp;to&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;rule,&nbsp;the&nbsp;strongest&nbsp;response&nbsp;yet&nbsp;from&nbsp;the&nbsp;former&nbsp;British&nbsp;colony. 
 
Leung&nbsp;told&nbsp;the&nbsp;Executive&nbsp;Council&nbsp;he&nbsp;had&nbsp;written&nbsp;a&nbsp;letter&nbsp;to&nbsp;Beijing&nbsp;asking&nbsp;whether&nbsp;mainland&nbsp;authorities&nbsp;enforced&nbsp;their&nbsp;laws&nbsp;across&nbsp;the&nbsp;border&nbsp;in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong. 
 
Demonstrators&nbsp;mock&nbsp;Leung 
 
Meanwhile,&nbsp;minor&nbsp;scuffles&nbsp;broke&nbsp;out&nbsp;between&nbsp;policemen&nbsp;and&nbsp;about&nbsp;dozens&nbsp;of&nbsp;pro-democracy&nbsp;protesters&nbsp;near&nbsp;the 
flag raising&nbsp;ceremony&#39;s&nbsp;venue. 
 
Demonstrators&nbsp;tried&nbsp;to&nbsp;burn&nbsp;an&nbsp;effigy&nbsp;of&nbsp;Leung,&nbsp;dressed&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;female&nbsp;servant&nbsp;to&nbsp;mock&nbsp;him&nbsp;acting&nbsp;subservient&nbsp;to&nbsp;Beijing. 
 
Protest&nbsp;organiser&nbsp;and&nbsp;chairman&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;League&nbsp;of&nbsp;Social&nbsp;Democrats,&nbsp;Avery&nbsp;Ng,&nbsp;said&nbsp;they&nbsp;also&nbsp;marched&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;clock&nbsp;prop&nbsp;to&nbsp;countdown&nbsp;to&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&#39;s&nbsp;death.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;Ever&nbsp;since&nbsp;the&nbsp;bookseller&nbsp;kidnapping&nbsp;case,&nbsp;we&nbsp;can&nbsp;see&nbsp;that&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&#39;s&nbsp;future&nbsp;is&nbsp;dying&nbsp;essentially,&nbsp;and&nbsp;we&nbsp;are&nbsp;counting&nbsp;down,&quot;&nbsp;Ng&nbsp;said. 
 
It&nbsp;may&nbsp;also&nbsp;be&nbsp;recalled&nbsp;that&nbsp;thousands&nbsp;marched&nbsp;in&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;last&nbsp;weekend&nbsp;to&nbsp;protest&nbsp;against&nbsp;China&#39;s&nbsp;detention&nbsp;of&nbsp;five&nbsp;booksellers&nbsp;whose&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;shop&nbsp;published &#39;gossipy&#39; books&nbsp;about&nbsp;Chinese&nbsp;leaders,&nbsp;including&nbsp;President&nbsp;Xi&nbsp;Jinping,&nbsp;in&nbsp;what&nbsp;critics&nbsp;called&nbsp;&quot;cross-border&nbsp;abductions&quot;. 
 
The&nbsp;arrests&nbsp;prompted&nbsp;fears&nbsp;Beijing&nbsp;may&nbsp;be&nbsp;eroding&nbsp;the&nbsp;&quot;one&nbsp;country,&nbsp;two&nbsp;systems&quot;&nbsp;system&nbsp;under&nbsp;which&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;has&nbsp;been&nbsp;governed&nbsp;as&nbsp;a&nbsp;special&nbsp;administrative&nbsp;region&nbsp;since&nbsp;its&nbsp;return&nbsp;to&nbsp;China&nbsp;from&nbsp;British&nbsp;rule&nbsp;in&nbsp;1997. 
 
One&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;five&nbsp;booksellers,&nbsp;Lam&nbsp;Wingkee&nbsp;who&nbsp;returned&nbsp;to&nbsp;Hong&nbsp;Kong&nbsp;last&nbsp;month&nbsp;and&nbsp;spoke&nbsp;publicly&nbsp;about&nbsp;his&nbsp;detention&nbsp;in&nbsp;mainland 
China,&nbsp;is&nbsp;expected&nbsp;to&nbsp;lead&nbsp;the&nbsp;annual&nbsp;anti-government&nbsp;protest&nbsp;on&nbsp;Friday&nbsp;afternoon. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
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Hong?Kong?has?been?governed?as?a?special administrative?region?since?its?return?to?China?from British?rule?in?1997

Hong Kong's Chief Executive Leung Chunying led a ceremony on Friday to mark the 19th anniversary of the territory's handover from British to Chinese rule, while dozens of protesters indulged into a scuffle with the police near the venue. The celebration came as political tensions between Beijing and Hong Kong run high, after a Hong Kong bookseller said he was abducted by Chinese authority along with five others. At a cocktail reception on Friday, Chief Executive Leung Chunying said the government will keep hold onto the basic principles that underline Hong Kong rule and enhance communication with Beijing. "Based on what we have had, setting the stage for Hong Kong people of different political beliefs and central government to have better communication, interaction and cooperation. And deepen the win-win relationship between Hong Kong and mainland China," Leung said. Hong Kong's leader said on Tuesday he had asked China whether its handling of the booksellers case violated the "one country, two systems" formula under which the city returned to Chinese rule, the strongest response yet from the former British colony. Leung told the Executive Council he had written a letter to Beijing asking whether mainland authorities enforced their laws across the border in Hong Kong. Demonstrators mock Leung Meanwhile, minor scuffles broke out between policemen and about dozens of pro-democracy protesters near the flag raising ceremony's venue. Demonstrators tried to burn an effigy of Leung, dressed as a female servant to mock him acting subservient to Beijing. Protest organiser and chairman of the League of Social Democrats, Avery Ng, said they also marched with a clock prop to countdown to Hong Kong's death. "Ever since the bookseller kidnapping case, we can see that Hong Kong's future is dying essentially, and we are counting down," Ng said. It may also be recalled that thousands marched in Hong Kong last weekend to protest against China's detention of five booksellers whose Hong Kong shop published 'gossipy' books about Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, in what critics called "cross-border abductions". The arrests prompted fears Beijing may be eroding the "one country, two systems" system under which Hong Kong has been governed as a special administrative region since its return to China from British rule in 1997. One of the five booksellers, Lam Wingkee who returned to Hong Kong last month and spoke publicly about his detention in mainland China, is expected to lead the annual anti-government protest on Friday afternoon. (Reuters)

Hong Kong marks 19th anniversary of handover while tensions with Beijing run high

The number of hate crimes reported to British police online, including some assaults, has increased by more than 500 per cent in the week after the country voted to leave the European Union (EU), a senior police chief said on Thursday. 
 
The number of hate crimes reported to police through its online portal - one of several ways incidents can be reported - was 331 since the vote, compared with a weekly average of 63, said Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs&#39; Council. 
 
The increase supports anecdotal evidence of abuse towards Muslims and Eastern Europeans following the referendum, in which concern about immigration drove many people to vote to leave the 28-country EU. 
 
&quot;I have been shocked and disgusted at some of the cases of racial or anti-immigrant abuse that have been reported this week,&quot; Thornton said in a statement posted online. 
 
&quot;Migrants are reporting verbal abuse, negative social media commentary including xenophobic language, anti-migrant leafleting and, in very limited numbers, physical assaults,&rdquo; the statement added.&nbsp; 
 
Critics accuse some in the &quot;Leave&quot; campaign of stoking xenophobia and racism, as part of a message that leaving the EU would allow Britain to stop uncontrolled immigration, which many Britons blame for putting pressure on jobs and public services. 
 
Thornton said all British police forces would now be asked to provide weekly data on such crimes to build a clear picture of the scale of the problem. 
 
On Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron promised to clamp down on hate crime after a number of lawmakers expressed concern about reported incidents in their regions. The issue was also raised at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. 
 
The government has promised extra funding to tackle hate crime, to improve reporting of offences and to provide security at potentially vulnerable institutions. 
 
A week before the vote, opposition Labour lawmaker Jo Cox, a strong supporter of remaining in the EU, was shot and stabbed to death in her constituency in northern England. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

'Migrants are reporting verbal abuse, xenophobic language, anti-migrant leafleting,' says England's National Police Chiefs' Council chair

The number of hate crimes reported to British police online, including some assaults, has increased by more than 500 per cent in the week after the country voted to leave the European Union (EU), a senior police chief said on Thursday. The number of hate crimes reported to police through its online portal - one of several ways incidents can be reported - was 331 since the vote, compared with a weekly average of 63, said Sara Thornton, chair of the National Police Chiefs' Council. The increase supports anecdotal evidence of abuse towards Muslims and Eastern Europeans following the referendum, in which concern about immigration drove many people to vote to leave the 28-country EU. "I have been shocked and disgusted at some of the cases of racial or anti-immigrant abuse that have been reported this week," Thornton said in a statement posted online. "Migrants are reporting verbal abuse, negative social media commentary including xenophobic language, anti-migrant leafleting and, in very limited numbers, physical assaults,” the statement added. Critics accuse some in the "Leave" campaign of stoking xenophobia and racism, as part of a message that leaving the EU would allow Britain to stop uncontrolled immigration, which many Britons blame for putting pressure on jobs and public services. Thornton said all British police forces would now be asked to provide weekly data on such crimes to build a clear picture of the scale of the problem. On Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron promised to clamp down on hate crime after a number of lawmakers expressed concern about reported incidents in their regions. The issue was also raised at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels. The government has promised extra funding to tackle hate crime, to improve reporting of offences and to provide security at potentially vulnerable institutions. A week before the vote, opposition Labour lawmaker Jo Cox, a strong supporter of remaining in the EU, was shot and stabbed to death in her constituency in northern England. (Reuters)

After Brexit, hate crimes reported to police online up by over 500%

Former London mayor&nbsp;Boris&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;abruptly pulled out of the race to become Britain&#39;s next prime minister on Thursday, in a shock move that upturned a political order shaken by last week&#39;s vote to leave the European Union. 
 
Johnson, whose support for the campaign to leave the EU was widely considered one of the decisive factors in the campaign, had been bookmakers&#39; runaway favourite to succeed David Cameron, who quit last week after failing to persuade British voters to stay in the bloc. 
 
Johnson&#39;s unexpected departure from the race, announced just minutes before the party unveiled the list of candidates, shows the speed with which the political landscape is being reshaped. 
 
&quot;I must tell you, my friends, you who have waited faithfully for the punchline of this speech, that having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me,&quot;&nbsp;Johnson&nbsp;said at a news conference to audible gasps. 
 
Cameron&#39;s replacement will face tough talks with the EU to mend a broken relationship, balancing a desire to reduce immigration to Britain, while trying to secure the economy by maintaining access to European markets. 
 
Johnson&#39;s departure from the race followed swiftly after another leading ally in the pro-Brexit campaign, justice secretary Michael Gove, put himself forward as a candidate, saying he had withdrawn support for&nbsp;Johnson. 
 
Gove will face off against Theresa May, the interior minister, who campaigned to remain in the EU, as well as other candidates for the ruling party&#39;s leadership. 
 
(Reuters)

Johnson withdrew just minutes before the Tory party unveiled its list of candidates

Former London mayor Boris Johnson abruptly pulled out of the race to become Britain's next prime minister on Thursday, in a shock move that upturned a political order shaken by last week's vote to leave the European Union. Johnson, whose support for the campaign to leave the EU was widely considered one of the decisive factors in the campaign, had been bookmakers' runaway favourite to succeed David Cameron, who quit last week after failing to persuade British voters to stay in the bloc. Johnson's unexpected departure from the race, announced just minutes before the party unveiled the list of candidates, shows the speed with which the political landscape is being reshaped. "I must tell you, my friends, you who have waited faithfully for the punchline of this speech, that having consulted colleagues and in view of the circumstances in parliament, I have concluded that person cannot be me," Johnson said at a news conference to audible gasps. Cameron's replacement will face tough talks with the EU to mend a broken relationship, balancing a desire to reduce immigration to Britain, while trying to secure the economy by maintaining access to European markets. Johnson's departure from the race followed swiftly after another leading ally in the pro-Brexit campaign, justice secretary Michael Gove, put himself forward as a candidate, saying he had withdrawn support for Johnson. Gove will face off against Theresa May, the interior minister, who campaigned to remain in the EU, as well as other candidates for the ruling party's leadership. (Reuters)

Boris Johnson pulls out of the race for Britain's next Prime Minister

It&rsquo;s been only a week since the UK took the decision to Brexit but that one vote has altered the Britain I thought I knew. Born and raised in Canada, I have spent most of my professional life in the UK. It was my adopted home. I loved it and, in turn, I hoped it loved me.&nbsp; 
 
It doesn&rsquo;t. 
 
The vote to leave was largely an anti-immigrant vote and the Leave campaign seems to have given legitimacy to the ugliest facets of society &ndash; xenophobia and racism. 
 
I have spent the week interviewing experts on what the vote means for Britain. It turns out some of the brightest minds are foreign-born &ndash; an American risk analyst, an Indian economics professor, a Belarussian negotiation expert, and a Slovenian international economics expert. 
 
We had all considered the vibrant international capital of London home... but there&#39;s doubt seeping in now. Our beloved city has grown an ugly underbelly. The Slovenian economics expert put it best.&nbsp; 
 
His 26-year-old son, raised in Britain since he was a year old, called him after the vote. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t like us. They don&rsquo;t want us,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp; 
 
We are &ldquo;the other&rdquo;. 
 
The American is considering returning to New York or perhaps Frankfurt; he has German roots and can get a passport. The Indian says she might take European job offers more seriously, and the Belarussian believes England is an uglier place now and wonders if it is the right place to raise her son. 
 
It has gotten ugly &ndash; fast. There has been a 57% rise in racist abuse after the Brexit vote, according to the National Police Chiefs&rsquo; Council. &nbsp; 
 
There&#39;s been racist graffiti scrawled on a Polish community centre in London. Letters stuffed through the doors of Polish families calling them &ldquo;Polish vermin&rdquo;, Muslims threatened with violence, an African American man verbally abused by teenagers in Manchester, a woman of South Asian descent born in Britain told to &ldquo;go home&rdquo; -- she swiftly retorted, &ldquo;I AM HOME&rdquo; -- and children of foreign parents taunted at schools.&nbsp; 
 
It all makes me sick. 
 
Then I wonder if this &ldquo;sudden&rdquo; surge of hatred for immigrants &ndash; &ldquo;the other&rdquo; &ndash; has always been there. Bubbling under the surface. Do the postman, the bartender, and the saleswoman all quietly judge me as soon as I open my mouth? Are they also wishing I would just go home? 
 
If this is the real Britain, well, I don&rsquo;t love you either and in this break-up, it&rsquo;s not me &ndash; it&rsquo;s you.

UK has seen a 57 per cent rise in racist abuse since it decided to exit the EU and Clark, a Canadian, suddenly finds herself as 'the other'

It’s been only a week since the UK took the decision to Brexit but that one vote has altered the Britain I thought I knew. Born and raised in Canada, I have spent most of my professional life in the UK. It was my adopted home. I loved it and, in turn, I hoped it loved me. It doesn’t. The vote to leave was largely an anti-immigrant vote and the Leave campaign seems to have given legitimacy to the ugliest facets of society – xenophobia and racism. I have spent the week interviewing experts on what the vote means for Britain. It turns out some of the brightest minds are foreign-born – an American risk analyst, an Indian economics professor, a Belarussian negotiation expert, and a Slovenian international economics expert. We had all considered the vibrant international capital of London home... but there's doubt seeping in now. Our beloved city has grown an ugly underbelly. The Slovenian economics expert put it best. His 26-year-old son, raised in Britain since he was a year old, called him after the vote. “They don’t like us. They don’t want us,” he said. We are “the other”. The American is considering returning to New York or perhaps Frankfurt; he has German roots and can get a passport. The Indian says she might take European job offers more seriously, and the Belarussian believes England is an uglier place now and wonders if it is the right place to raise her son. It has gotten ugly – fast. There has been a 57% rise in racist abuse after the Brexit vote, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council. There's been racist graffiti scrawled on a Polish community centre in London. Letters stuffed through the doors of Polish families calling them “Polish vermin”, Muslims threatened with violence, an African American man verbally abused by teenagers in Manchester, a woman of South Asian descent born in Britain told to “go home” -- she swiftly retorted, “I AM HOME” -- and children of foreign parents taunted at schools. It all makes me sick. Then I wonder if this “sudden” surge of hatred for immigrants – “the other” – has always been there. Bubbling under the surface. Do the postman, the bartender, and the saleswoman all quietly judge me as soon as I open my mouth? Are they also wishing I would just go home? If this is the real Britain, well, I don’t love you either and in this break-up, it’s not me – it’s you.

If this is the real Britain, then I don't love you

Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union raises &quot;longer-term concerns&quot; about global growth at a time of already weak economic output, US President Barack Obama said today. 
 
&quot;I think there are some genuine, longer-term concerns about global growth if, in fact, Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole,&quot; Obama said, speaking at a North American leaders summit.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn&#39;t help,&quot; he said. 
 
However, the US President, after meeting his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, expressed confidence in the global financial system&#39;s resilience as markets rebounded on Wednesday from post-Brexit losses following a bruising two-day rout. 
 
&quot;Given the vote of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, our economic teams are going to continue to work together so that we remain focused on keeping our economies growing and making sure that the global financial system is stable,&quot; Obama said. 
 
Both Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made clear their desire to see Britain remain in the 28-member bloc and the fallout from the Brexit was high on their agenda in Ottawa. 
 
(AFP)

Obama pledged to work with other nations to keep the economic system growing and stable

Britain's vote to leave the European Union raises "longer-term concerns" about global growth at a time of already weak economic output, US President Barack Obama said today. "I think there are some genuine, longer-term concerns about global growth if, in fact, Brexit goes through and that freezes the possibilities of investment in Great Britain or in Europe as a whole," Obama said, speaking at a North American leaders summit. "At a time when global growth rates were weak already, this doesn't help," he said. However, the US President, after meeting his Canadian and Mexican counterparts, expressed confidence in the global financial system's resilience as markets rebounded on Wednesday from post-Brexit losses following a bruising two-day rout. "Given the vote of the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, our economic teams are going to continue to work together so that we remain focused on keeping our economies growing and making sure that the global financial system is stable," Obama said. Both Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had made clear their desire to see Britain remain in the 28-member bloc and the fallout from the Brexit was high on their agenda in Ottawa. (AFP)

Brexit raises 'genuine concerns' for long-term global growth: Obama

Britain&#39;s City of London financial district would have to give up its role in processing Euro currency transactions after it leaves the European Union, French President Francois Hollande warned on Wednesday. 
 
Hollande said other European financial centres should be ready to take over from London, which is home to many banking clearing houses that deal with Euros. 
 
&quot;There is no reason for Europe, and still less the eurozone, to allow a country that is no longer a member of the European Union and has never been a member of the eurozone to continue operations in Euros,&quot; Hollande said after a summit in Brussels. 
 
The French leader added that European financial centres should &quot;prepare to take on a certain number of operations that can no longer be done in Britain&quot;. 
 
In a separate interview with French business daily Les Echos Hollande said France itself should &quot;adapt its regulations, including fiscal (regulations) to make the Paris financial centre more attractive&quot;. 
 
On Tuesday, the president of Paris Europlace, a group that promotes French finance, met with finance minister Michel Spain to suggest ways of boosting the French capital&#39;s ability to woo city bankers. 
 
Britain&#39;s shock vote last week to leave the EU has sparked questions over its role as Europe`s financial capital, with cities like Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank, and Dublin also hoping to cash in on any move out of London by financial companies. 
 
The issue of whether Euro clearing houses can remain in the British capital is set to be one of the most contentious issues as Britain seeks to negotiate its future trade relationship with the EU after its departure. 
 
Britain has jealously guarded its status and won a recent EU court decision against the European Central Bank in order to keep hosting the Euro deals. 
 
Jonathan Hill, a Briton, was the European Commissioner in charge of the coveted financial services portfolio until his resignation on Saturday following the referendum result. 
 
(AFP) 
 
&nbsp;

France will adapt its regulations, including fiscal to make the Paris financial centre more attractive to take over operations from London

Britain's City of London financial district would have to give up its role in processing Euro currency transactions after it leaves the European Union, French President Francois Hollande warned on Wednesday. Hollande said other European financial centres should be ready to take over from London, which is home to many banking clearing houses that deal with Euros. "There is no reason for Europe, and still less the eurozone, to allow a country that is no longer a member of the European Union and has never been a member of the eurozone to continue operations in Euros," Hollande said after a summit in Brussels. The French leader added that European financial centres should "prepare to take on a certain number of operations that can no longer be done in Britain". In a separate interview with French business daily Les Echos Hollande said France itself should "adapt its regulations, including fiscal (regulations) to make the Paris financial centre more attractive". On Tuesday, the president of Paris Europlace, a group that promotes French finance, met with finance minister Michel Spain to suggest ways of boosting the French capital's ability to woo city bankers. Britain's shock vote last week to leave the EU has sparked questions over its role as Europe`s financial capital, with cities like Frankfurt, home of the European Central Bank, and Dublin also hoping to cash in on any move out of London by financial companies. The issue of whether Euro clearing houses can remain in the British capital is set to be one of the most contentious issues as Britain seeks to negotiate its future trade relationship with the EU after its departure. Britain has jealously guarded its status and won a recent EU court decision against the European Central Bank in order to keep hosting the Euro deals. Jonathan Hill, a Briton, was the European Commissioner in charge of the coveted financial services portfolio until his resignation on Saturday following the referendum result. (AFP)

France says post-Brexit Britain must relinquish Euro business

Britain&#39;s economic growth slowed in the first quarter from the previous three months, official data confirmed Thursday, as business investment faltered on uncertainty before the Brexit referendum. 
 
Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.4 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a final estimate for the period between January and March, ahead of the June 23 European Union (EU) membership vote. 
 
That was unchanged from the previous figure, but marked a slowdown from the fourth quarter of 2015, which was revised up to 0.7 per cent expansion from 0.6 per cent. 
 
&quot;Business investment was highly likely limited by increased business caution ahead of the EU membership referendum,&quot; said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer. 
 
&quot;It was also disappointing to see exports of goods and services dip.&quot; 
 
In a shock referendum last Thursday, Britons voted to quit the EU in a so-called Brexit - despite warnings from the government and the International Monetary Fund of a potential recession. 
 
The outcome sparked the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron who backed the unsuccessful Remain campaign and will step down in the autumn. 
 
&quot;We can be confident that the economic recovery has lost further momentum in the second quarter as Brexit risk began to loom large,&quot; added economist Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macro. 
 
&quot;Even if the referendum had led to continuation of the status quo, the UK&#39;s economic recovery would be slowing in response to tighter fiscal policy, moderating employment growth and slowly rising inflation. 
 
&quot;The referendum has turned a bad outlook into a terrible one, and we now expect collapsing business investment, a hiring freeze and much higher inflation to push the economy into recession.&quot; 
 
The technical definition of a recession is two or more successive quarters of economic contraction. 
 
(AFP)

With uncertainty looming before Brexit referendum, Britain's several economic sectors are adversely affected

Britain's economic growth slowed in the first quarter from the previous three months, official data confirmed Thursday, as business investment faltered on uncertainty before the Brexit referendum. Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.4 per cent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a final estimate for the period between January and March, ahead of the June 23 European Union (EU) membership vote. That was unchanged from the previous figure, but marked a slowdown from the fourth quarter of 2015, which was revised up to 0.7 per cent expansion from 0.6 per cent. "Business investment was highly likely limited by increased business caution ahead of the EU membership referendum," said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer. "It was also disappointing to see exports of goods and services dip." In a shock referendum last Thursday, Britons voted to quit the EU in a so-called Brexit - despite warnings from the government and the International Monetary Fund of a potential recession. The outcome sparked the resignation of British Prime Minister David Cameron who backed the unsuccessful Remain campaign and will step down in the autumn. "We can be confident that the economic recovery has lost further momentum in the second quarter as Brexit risk began to loom large," added economist Samuel Tombs at Pantheon Macro. "Even if the referendum had led to continuation of the status quo, the UK's economic recovery would be slowing in response to tighter fiscal policy, moderating employment growth and slowly rising inflation. "The referendum has turned a bad outlook into a terrible one, and we now expect collapsing business investment, a hiring freeze and much higher inflation to push the economy into recession." The technical definition of a recession is two or more successive quarters of economic contraction. (AFP)

Britain's economic growth slows, says official data

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the market turbulence caused by Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union will subside in the medium term, but it remains to be seen if Britain will uphold its democratic principles.&nbsp; 
 
Addressing his biannual meeting with Russian ambassadors abroad and special envoys, Putin said Russia had not influenced the British referendum. 
 
&quot;I would like to stress yet again that the so-called Brexit is the choice of the British people, we did not interfere with this process and are not tampering with it in anyway,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;Now let&#39;s see how they will implement the principles of democracy,&quot; Putin said. &quot;The referendum results have rocked the markets, but in the medium term everything will recover.&quot;&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

The Russian President told his ambassadors that his country has not influenced the British referendum

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the market turbulence caused by Britain's vote to leave the European Union will subside in the medium term, but it remains to be seen if Britain will uphold its democratic principles. Addressing his biannual meeting with Russian ambassadors abroad and special envoys, Putin said Russia had not influenced the British referendum. "I would like to stress yet again that the so-called Brexit is the choice of the British people, we did not interfere with this process and are not tampering with it in anyway," he said. "Now let's see how they will implement the principles of democracy," Putin said. "The referendum results have rocked the markets, but in the medium term everything will recover." (Reuters)

Let's see how British democracy works after Brexit, says Putin

Expressing regret and sadness over Britain&#39;s decision to leave the European Union (EU), Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday the country would not turn its back on Europe and would instead build the strongest ties it could. 
 
At what he said would be his last EU summit, Cameron told a news conference that as a democrat he had accepted the will of the people and other leaders had also respected the choice in a mood &quot;of sadness and regret&quot;. 
 
&quot;I threw myself in head, heart and soul to keep Britain in the European Union and I didn&#39;t succeed,&quot; he said. &quot;And when you lose you have to say right I&#39;ve lost that argument, I&#39;ve lost that ... debate and it&#39;s right to hand over to someone else who will take the country forward. 
 
&quot;Now of course I am sad about that, but frankly I&#39;m more concerned about Britain getting its relationship right with Europe.&quot; 
 
He stressed Britain would leave the European Union, seeking to quash suggestions it could avoid a Brexit or preserve access to the bloc&#39;s prized single market if it curbed flows of migrant workers from the EU. 
 
&quot;If you want the full benefits of the single market, you&#39;ll have to be part of every part of it,&quot; he said. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

'Now of course I am sad about that, but frankly I'm more concerned about Britain getting its relationship right with Europe'

Expressing regret and sadness over Britain's decision to leave the European Union (EU), Prime Minister David Cameron said on Tuesday the country would not turn its back on Europe and would instead build the strongest ties it could. At what he said would be his last EU summit, Cameron told a news conference that as a democrat he had accepted the will of the people and other leaders had also respected the choice in a mood "of sadness and regret". "I threw myself in head, heart and soul to keep Britain in the European Union and I didn't succeed," he said. "And when you lose you have to say right I've lost that argument, I've lost that ... debate and it's right to hand over to someone else who will take the country forward. "Now of course I am sad about that, but frankly I'm more concerned about Britain getting its relationship right with Europe." He stressed Britain would leave the European Union, seeking to quash suggestions it could avoid a Brexit or preserve access to the bloc's prized single market if it curbed flows of migrant workers from the EU. "If you want the full benefits of the single market, you'll have to be part of every part of it," he said. (Reuters)

Cameron regretful after EU divorce, insists on building strongest ties

European leaders told Britain on Tuesday to act quickly to resolve the political and economic confusion unleashed by its vote to leave the European Union last week, after the IMF said the uncertainty could put pressure on global economic growth. 
 
Sterling and world stock markets recovered slightly on Tuesday but investor confidence remains fragile despite policymakers saying they will take all necessary measures to protect their economies. 
 
Last week&#39;s referendum wiped a record $3 trillion off the value of global shares and Sterling fell to its lowest level in 31 years against the US Dollar. 
 
British finance minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets on Monday went unheard, said on Tuesday the government will have to cut spending and raise taxes to stabilise the economy after credit rating agency Fitch became the third agency to downgrade UK debt.&nbsp; 
 
Businesses have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, despite voters` hopes the economy would thrive outside the EU.&nbsp; 
 
Germany&#39;s financial market regulator delivered a double blow to the city of London, saying it could not host the headquarters of a planned European stock exchange after Britain leaves the EU and could not remain a centre for trading in Euros. 
 
European countries are concerned about the impact of the political and regulatory uncertainty on the economies of the other 27 other EU members while the UK government works out how and when to begin withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.&nbsp; 
 
European central bank president Mario Draghi said on Tuesday that central banks around the world should aim to align monetary policies to mitigate &quot;destabilising spillovers&quot; between economies.&nbsp; 
 
Draghi had added that he agreed with private economists who predict euro zone growth will be reduced by up to 0.5 per cent cumulatively over the next three years due to the &quot;Brexit&quot; vote.&nbsp; 
 
UK warned EU access depends on four freedoms&nbsp; 
 
At a summit meeting of the leaders of the 28 members of the EU in Brussels on Tuesday, Cameron said he hoped the UK would maintain as tight an economic and political relationship as possible with the EU. 
 
&quot;Britain will be leaving the European Union, but we will not be turning our back on Europe,&quot; he told a news conference after a dinner at which he said many European partners expressed regret and voiced friendship for Britain. 
 
Cameron said he told the EU summit that, &quot;People recognised the economic case for staying, but there was a very great concern about movement of people and that was coupled with concern about issues of sovereignty. I think we need to think about that, Europe needs to think about that.&quot; 
 
In a veiled rebuke to UK &quot;Leave&quot; campaign leaders such as Boris Johnson, who is vying to succeed him, Cameron said Britons would have to understand they could not keep all the benefits of EU membership without the costs. 
 
Driving home that message, French President Francois Hollande said continued access to the EU&#39;s prized single market was dependent on accepting the so-called four freedoms of movement of goods, capital, workers and services. 
 
&quot;If they don&#39;t want free movement, they won&#39;t have access to the single market,&quot; he said, adding that London will no longer be able to act as a clearing house in Euros. 
 
The European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution on Tuesday demanding that London activate the EU treaty&#39;s voluntary exit clause as fast as possible and launch negotiations on withdrawal terms with a two-year countdown to departure. 
 
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said London should be allowed time to recover its balance after the political shockwave before formally notifying its partners of its plans.&nbsp; 
 
The other 27 EU leaders will hold their own meeting today to discuss how to deal with Britain on its way out of the bloc it joined in 1973 and how to take the Union forward without it.&nbsp; 
 
UK politics in upheaval&nbsp; 
 
Back in London, Conservative Party officials said on Tuesday that Cameron`s successor as prime minister would be appointed at the earliest on September 9. 
 
Cameron, who called the referendum and tendered his resignation as prime minister when it became clear he had failed to persuade Britain to stay in the EU, says he will let his successor declare the country`s exit formally. 
 
Meanwhile, UK Labour Party lawmakers passed a vote of no-confidence in leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday, accusing him of failing to win over traditional supporters during the referendum campaign. The lawmakers fear a similar failure at the next general election, due in 2020, will lead to Labour suffering a major loss of seats in parliament.&nbsp; 
 
However, the Labour confidence vote does not automatically trigger a leadership election and Corbyn refused to quit. &quot;I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 per cent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning,&quot; he said.&nbsp; 
 
Underlining the political upheaval that the Brexit vote set in motion, Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon is to visit Brussels today for talks with the president of the European Parliament and European Commission officials. 
 
Sturgeon has said Scotland, where nearly two in three voters backed staying in the EU, does not want to leave the bloc and may hold a new referendum on independence.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)

British finance minister said need to reduce spending and raise taxes to stabilise the economy after credit rating agency downgraded UK debt

European leaders told Britain on Tuesday to act quickly to resolve the political and economic confusion unleashed by its vote to leave the European Union last week, after the IMF said the uncertainty could put pressure on global economic growth. Sterling and world stock markets recovered slightly on Tuesday but investor confidence remains fragile despite policymakers saying they will take all necessary measures to protect their economies. Last week's referendum wiped a record $3 trillion off the value of global shares and Sterling fell to its lowest level in 31 years against the US Dollar. British finance minister George Osborne, whose attempt to calm markets on Monday went unheard, said on Tuesday the government will have to cut spending and raise taxes to stabilise the economy after credit rating agency Fitch became the third agency to downgrade UK debt. Businesses have announced hiring freezes and possible job cuts, despite voters` hopes the economy would thrive outside the EU. Germany's financial market regulator delivered a double blow to the city of London, saying it could not host the headquarters of a planned European stock exchange after Britain leaves the EU and could not remain a centre for trading in Euros. European countries are concerned about the impact of the political and regulatory uncertainty on the economies of the other 27 other EU members while the UK government works out how and when to begin withdrawal negotiations under Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty. European central bank president Mario Draghi said on Tuesday that central banks around the world should aim to align monetary policies to mitigate "destabilising spillovers" between economies. Draghi had added that he agreed with private economists who predict euro zone growth will be reduced by up to 0.5 per cent cumulatively over the next three years due to the "Brexit" vote. UK warned EU access depends on four freedoms At a summit meeting of the leaders of the 28 members of the EU in Brussels on Tuesday, Cameron said he hoped the UK would maintain as tight an economic and political relationship as possible with the EU. "Britain will be leaving the European Union, but we will not be turning our back on Europe," he told a news conference after a dinner at which he said many European partners expressed regret and voiced friendship for Britain. Cameron said he told the EU summit that, "People recognised the economic case for staying, but there was a very great concern about movement of people and that was coupled with concern about issues of sovereignty. I think we need to think about that, Europe needs to think about that." In a veiled rebuke to UK "Leave" campaign leaders such as Boris Johnson, who is vying to succeed him, Cameron said Britons would have to understand they could not keep all the benefits of EU membership without the costs. Driving home that message, French President Francois Hollande said continued access to the EU's prized single market was dependent on accepting the so-called four freedoms of movement of goods, capital, workers and services. "If they don't want free movement, they won't have access to the single market," he said, adding that London will no longer be able to act as a clearing house in Euros. The European Parliament adopted a non-binding resolution on Tuesday demanding that London activate the EU treaty's voluntary exit clause as fast as possible and launch negotiations on withdrawal terms with a two-year countdown to departure. But German Chancellor Angela Merkel said London should be allowed time to recover its balance after the political shockwave before formally notifying its partners of its plans. The other 27 EU leaders will hold their own meeting today to discuss how to deal with Britain on its way out of the bloc it joined in 1973 and how to take the Union forward without it. UK politics in upheaval Back in London, Conservative Party officials said on Tuesday that Cameron`s successor as prime minister would be appointed at the earliest on September 9. Cameron, who called the referendum and tendered his resignation as prime minister when it became clear he had failed to persuade Britain to stay in the EU, says he will let his successor declare the country`s exit formally. Meanwhile, UK Labour Party lawmakers passed a vote of no-confidence in leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday, accusing him of failing to win over traditional supporters during the referendum campaign. The lawmakers fear a similar failure at the next general election, due in 2020, will lead to Labour suffering a major loss of seats in parliament. However, the Labour confidence vote does not automatically trigger a leadership election and Corbyn refused to quit. "I was democratically elected leader of our party for a new kind of politics by 60 per cent of Labour members and supporters, and I will not betray them by resigning," he said. Underlining the political upheaval that the Brexit vote set in motion, Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon is to visit Brussels today for talks with the president of the European Parliament and European Commission officials. Sturgeon has said Scotland, where nearly two in three voters backed staying in the EU, does not want to leave the bloc and may hold a new referendum on independence. (Reuters)

EU leaders tell Britain to exit swiftly, markets steadier

Spain&#39;s acting premier Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday that Madrid would oppose any separate talks with Scotland on its future in the European Union after Britain voted to leave the bloc. 
 
Spain has consistently opposed Scottish independence for fear of setting a precedent for its own separatists, especially in Catalonia, its richest region.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;The Spanish government is opposed to any negotiations with anyone else but the British government,&quot; Rajoy said after 27 EU leaders, excluding Britain, met in Brussels to discuss the Brexit vote. 
 
&quot;The United Kingdom leaves and with it, all those who make up the United Kingdom,&quot; he said. 
 
Rajoy was speaking just hours before European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was due to meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. 
 
Sturgeon has said she is ready to defend Scotland&#39; s place in the EU by all means, including another independence referendum if need be. 
 
European Council President Donald Tusk, however, declined to meet the first minister as it was &quot;not the appropriate moment&quot;, a source in the council said on Tuesday.&nbsp; 
 
While Britain as a whole voted 52-48 per cent to leave the EU, Scotland voted 62-38 per cent to remain. 
 
Scots rejected independence in 2014 but since last Thursday&#39;s Brexit vote, there have been calls for another referendum to give Scotland the option to remain in the EU. 
 
(AFP)

Spain has consistently opposed Scottish independence for fear of setting a precedent for its own separatists, especially in Catalonia

Spain's acting premier Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday that Madrid would oppose any separate talks with Scotland on its future in the European Union after Britain voted to leave the bloc. Spain has consistently opposed Scottish independence for fear of setting a precedent for its own separatists, especially in Catalonia, its richest region. "The Spanish government is opposed to any negotiations with anyone else but the British government," Rajoy said after 27 EU leaders, excluding Britain, met in Brussels to discuss the Brexit vote. "The United Kingdom leaves and with it, all those who make up the United Kingdom," he said. Rajoy was speaking just hours before European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was due to meet Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon. Sturgeon has said she is ready to defend Scotland' s place in the EU by all means, including another independence referendum if need be. European Council President Donald Tusk, however, declined to meet the first minister as it was "not the appropriate moment", a source in the council said on Tuesday. While Britain as a whole voted 52-48 per cent to leave the EU, Scotland voted 62-38 per cent to remain. Scots rejected independence in 2014 but since last Thursday's Brexit vote, there have been calls for another referendum to give Scotland the option to remain in the EU. (AFP)

Spanish Prime Minister opposes EU talks with Scotland after Brexit

The first candidate to put himself forward to succeed David Cameron as British prime minister, Stephen Crabb, has said a top priority for him would be to take back control of immigration policy. 
 
Crabb, the work and pensions secretary in Cameron&#39;s government, had supported a &quot;Remain&quot; vote in last week&#39;s referendum on the European Union, which saw Britain vote to leave the bloc by 52 to 48 percent. 
 
Cameron, who led the Remain campaign, has announced his resignation and a leadership contest will now take place in the ruling Conservative Party to elect his successor by early September. 
 
&quot;We cannot allow this leadership election to be defined by divisive labels like &#39;Remainer&#39; and &#39;Brexiteer&#39;,&quot; Crabb wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, calling on Conservatives to unite. 
 
Crabb said the people&#39;s verdict on the EU was clear and there would be no going back. A second referendum revisiting the issue was out of the question, he wrote. 
 
&quot;I want to lead a government that delivers on the expectations of the 17 million people who voted for Britain to leave the EU,&quot; he wrote. 
 
&quot;One of the overwhelming messages from that vote was the need to take back control of immigration policy in the UK. So for me, freedom of movement is a red line.&quot; 
 
The Remain camp had argued that if Britain wanted to retain access to the European single market, which it presented as crucial for its economy, it would have to come to a compromise over freedom of movement which is a key principle for the EU. 
 
A former state school pupil who was brought up by his single mother in a social housing home and once worked as a building site labourer,Crabb has been dubbed the &quot;blue collar ticket&quot; by some newspapers. 
 
His background contrasts dramatically with those of Cameron and of Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who is seen as the frontrunner in the leadership contest, both of whom attended Eton, an elite private boarding school, and Oxford University. 
 
Crabb has gained support from Business Secretary Sajid Javid. 
 
Nominations must be submitted by Thursday. Apart from Johnson, the other senior figure widely expected to join the fray is Home Secretary Theresa May. 
 
(Reuters)

Stephen Crabb, work and pensions secretary in Cameron's government, had supported a "Remain" vote in last week's referendum on EU

The first candidate to put himself forward to succeed David Cameron as British prime minister, Stephen Crabb, has said a top priority for him would be to take back control of immigration policy. Crabb, the work and pensions secretary in Cameron's government, had supported a "Remain" vote in last week's referendum on the European Union, which saw Britain vote to leave the bloc by 52 to 48 percent. Cameron, who led the Remain campaign, has announced his resignation and a leadership contest will now take place in the ruling Conservative Party to elect his successor by early September. "We cannot allow this leadership election to be defined by divisive labels like 'Remainer' and 'Brexiteer'," Crabb wrote in a column in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, calling on Conservatives to unite. Crabb said the people's verdict on the EU was clear and there would be no going back. A second referendum revisiting the issue was out of the question, he wrote. "I want to lead a government that delivers on the expectations of the 17 million people who voted for Britain to leave the EU," he wrote. "One of the overwhelming messages from that vote was the need to take back control of immigration policy in the UK. So for me, freedom of movement is a red line." The Remain camp had argued that if Britain wanted to retain access to the European single market, which it presented as crucial for its economy, it would have to come to a compromise over freedom of movement which is a key principle for the EU. A former state school pupil who was brought up by his single mother in a social housing home and once worked as a building site labourer,Crabb has been dubbed the "blue collar ticket" by some newspapers. His background contrasts dramatically with those of Cameron and of Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London who is seen as the frontrunner in the leadership contest, both of whom attended Eton, an elite private boarding school, and Oxford University. Crabb has gained support from Business Secretary Sajid Javid. Nominations must be submitted by Thursday. Apart from Johnson, the other senior figure widely expected to join the fray is Home Secretary Theresa May. (Reuters)

British PM candidate Crabb says immigration control a top priority

British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday he was seriously considering entering the race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister. 
 
Hunt, who backed the campaign to stay in the European Union (EU), told ITV&#39;s Good Morning Britain programme he was weighing up whether to put his name forward before nominations for the next Conservative party leader close on Thursday.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I am seriously considering it,&quot; he said &quot;What I want to do is to make the argument as to the kind of Britain that we need to be outside the EU. This is a big, big change and if we get it right we can succeed.&quot; 
 
Cameron announced he would resign after Britons voted to leave the EU. Boris Johnson, who was the most high-profile figure in the Leave camp, is the favourite to replace him, but a number of other prominent Conservatives are also thought to be considering a leadership bid. 
 
Hunt said Britain must remain part of the single market, and writing in the Daily Telegraph he said Britain could hold a second referendum on EU membership if it could broker a deal with the bloc to allow full control of its borders. 
 
&quot;I&#39;m not saying we have a second referendum on whether we remain in the EU,&quot; he told the BBC. &quot;We are leaving the EU...but what I am saying is that when we have negotiated the terms of our departure....I do think people should have a chance to have their say on those terms.&quot; 
 
Hunt said the prime minister who succeeded Cameron should be given a chance to negotiate with Brussels before Britain hands in its two-year notice to quit the EU, so they can put any deal on migration to the British public. 
 
&quot;So before setting the clock ticking we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people, either in a referendum or through the Conservative manifesto at a fresh general election,&quot; Hunt said. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

'So before setting the clock ticking we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people'

British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Tuesday he was seriously considering entering the race to succeed David Cameron as prime minister. Hunt, who backed the campaign to stay in the European Union (EU), told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme he was weighing up whether to put his name forward before nominations for the next Conservative party leader close on Thursday. "I am seriously considering it," he said "What I want to do is to make the argument as to the kind of Britain that we need to be outside the EU. This is a big, big change and if we get it right we can succeed." Cameron announced he would resign after Britons voted to leave the EU. Boris Johnson, who was the most high-profile figure in the Leave camp, is the favourite to replace him, but a number of other prominent Conservatives are also thought to be considering a leadership bid. Hunt said Britain must remain part of the single market, and writing in the Daily Telegraph he said Britain could hold a second referendum on EU membership if it could broker a deal with the bloc to allow full control of its borders. "I'm not saying we have a second referendum on whether we remain in the EU," he told the BBC. "We are leaving the EU...but what I am saying is that when we have negotiated the terms of our departure....I do think people should have a chance to have their say on those terms." Hunt said the prime minister who succeeded Cameron should be given a chance to negotiate with Brussels before Britain hands in its two-year notice to quit the EU, so they can put any deal on migration to the British public. "So before setting the clock ticking we need to negotiate a deal and put it to the British people, either in a referendum or through the Conservative manifesto at a fresh general election," Hunt said. (Reuters)

British health secretary likely to run for PM, pitches negotiations with EU

Chancellor&nbsp;George&nbsp;Osborne&nbsp;said&nbsp;on&nbsp;Tuesday&nbsp;that&nbsp;Britain&nbsp;would&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;raise&nbsp;taxes&nbsp;and&nbsp;cut&nbsp;spending&nbsp;to&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;economic&nbsp;challenge&nbsp; 
posed&nbsp;after&nbsp;Britons&nbsp;voted&nbsp;to&nbsp;leave&nbsp;the&nbsp;European&nbsp;Union&nbsp;(EU). 
 
&quot;We&nbsp;are&nbsp;absolutely&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;provide&nbsp;fiscal&nbsp;security&nbsp;to&nbsp;people,&nbsp;we&nbsp;are&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;show&nbsp;the&nbsp;country&nbsp;and&nbsp;the world that&nbsp;the&nbsp;government&nbsp;can&nbsp;live&nbsp;within&nbsp;its&nbsp;means,&quot;&nbsp;he&nbsp;told&nbsp;BBC&nbsp;radio. 
 
Asked&nbsp;if&nbsp;that&nbsp;meant&nbsp;tax&nbsp;rises&nbsp;and&nbsp;spending&nbsp;cuts,&nbsp;he&nbsp;said:&nbsp;&quot;Yes,&nbsp;absolutely.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

'We?are?going?to?have?to?show?the?country?and?the world that?the?government?can?live?within?its?means'

Chancellor George Osborne said on Tuesday that Britain would have to raise taxes and cut spending to deal with the economic challenge posed after Britons voted to leave the European Union (EU). "We are absolutely going to have to provide fiscal security to people, we are going to have to show the country and the world that the government can live within its means," he told BBC radio. Asked if that meant tax rises and spending cuts, he said: "Yes, absolutely." (Reuters)

Britain to raise taxes in wake of EU divorce, says Osborne

Britain&#39;s opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn told more than 1,000 of his supporters to &quot;stand together&quot; on Monday, as he faces a no-confidence motion after almost all his policy team withdrew their support for him in protest after Britons voted to leave the European Union (EU).&nbsp; 
 
The noisy rally took place outside parliament where his party were meeting to discuss the no-confidence vote in Corbyn&#39;s leadership. After the meeting, Corbyn addressed his supporters, not directly mentioning the ongoing drama within his party. 
 
Corbyn has vowed to fight to retain control of Labour, resisting pressure to quit over what critics say was his lacklustre effort to keep Britain inside the European Union. 
 
Labour&#39;s Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and newly appointed Shadow Health Secretary Diane Abbott reaffirmed their support for Corbyn at the rally. 
 
The no-confidence motion is due to be voted on at a secret ballot on Tuesday, although it is not enough on its own to trigger a leadership contest -- something that requires 51 lawmakers to nominate a rival candidate. 
 
Corbyn was elected party leader last year on a surprise wave of grassroots enthusiasm for his left-wing agenda and promise of a new approach to politics. But his relationship with Labour&#39;s elected lawmakers has always been fragile, with many questioning whether the party could win an election on such a ticket. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Almost all of his policy team has withdrawn their support for him

Britain's opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn told more than 1,000 of his supporters to "stand together" on Monday, as he faces a no-confidence motion after almost all his policy team withdrew their support for him in protest after Britons voted to leave the European Union (EU). The noisy rally took place outside parliament where his party were meeting to discuss the no-confidence vote in Corbyn's leadership. After the meeting, Corbyn addressed his supporters, not directly mentioning the ongoing drama within his party. Corbyn has vowed to fight to retain control of Labour, resisting pressure to quit over what critics say was his lacklustre effort to keep Britain inside the European Union. Labour's Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell and newly appointed Shadow Health Secretary Diane Abbott reaffirmed their support for Corbyn at the rally. The no-confidence motion is due to be voted on at a secret ballot on Tuesday, although it is not enough on its own to trigger a leadership contest -- something that requires 51 lawmakers to nominate a rival candidate. Corbyn was elected party leader last year on a surprise wave of grassroots enthusiasm for his left-wing agenda and promise of a new approach to politics. But his relationship with Labour's elected lawmakers has always been fragile, with many questioning whether the party could win an election on such a ticket. (Reuters)

Corbyn faces no-confidence motion today, tells supporters to ?stand together?

British Prime Minister David Cameron&#39;s successor will be announced on September 9 after nominations are submitted by Thursday at the latest, the Conservative Party said on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;The party board recommends that the date of the declaration of the leader is September 9,&quot; the party said in a statement. A party committee on Monday had recommended the date of September 2. 
 
(AFP) 
 
 
&nbsp;

A party committee had earlier recommended September 2 as the date of announcement

British Prime Minister David Cameron's successor will be announced on September 9 after nominations are submitted by Thursday at the latest, the Conservative Party said on Tuesday. "The party board recommends that the date of the declaration of the leader is September 9," the party said in a statement. A party committee on Monday had recommended the date of September 2. (AFP)

Cameron successor announcement delayed to September 9, says the Conservative Party

At a time when all of us were convinced that globalisation was firmly perched in the world economic order and that regional trade blocs such as the European Union were the only way forward, here came the divorce of the century -- Brexit. 
 
Until a few days ago, it would have not sounded plausible that the British would exit this marriage of 43 years. As a global citizen looking at this vote, it was a bit unbelievable for me too. We have grown up into the idea that we will all move forward and amalgamate into a more just and egalitarian world. 
 
It is one thing to talk about amalgamation and telling the world that we believe in equality and quite another, when it comes to accepting the ideas as part of your own reality. We have all heard the British talk about the idea of Commonwealth and how countries that were part of their global empire should continue to stick around. But when it came down to taking their relationship forward with the rest of Europe, many Britons rejected the idea. 
 
Details dug in history 
 
Bretton Woods system: It all started after the Second World War in 1944 in a small town in New Hampshire in United States where delegates of 44 nations came together to define a new international monetary system. It was at this meeting that the IMF and the World Bank came into existence and all the currencies around the world were pegged to the dollar which was in turn pegged to Bullion. 
 
After this, the trade between the countries in the western world started increasing enormously and we saw the birth of globalisation. The outlook of these western countries was more and more outward looking. Talks of working together in a cohesive manner and amalgamation were in the forefront of their scheme of things.. 
 
Thus, during 40s and thereafter, the western countries were talking the language of interconnectivity through trade, defence forces (NATO), powerplay at IMF and World Bank and the actual culmination of all this integration and globalisation was seen in the formation of European Union. 
 
In the various stages of formation of a union among countries, European Union was just one step away from the final stage where all the countries not only have same trade and monetary policies but also the same fiscal policy. This was termed as an Economic Union and was the step towards the political unification of countries. 
 
The time of the East 
 
As the time passed, in the 70s and 80s, the Eastern World also started opening up and moved towards adopting more liberalised policies. China is a manufacturing hub and trade-driven economy and none of the countries here is even close to China&#39;s share in world trade. The east Asian Tigers also reaped the benefits of opening up their economy to world trade and experienced a tremendous increase in their GDP. 
 
After the 1991 liberalisation, India has also reaped benefits of this integrated world. 
 
What the western world was experiencing in 40s and 50s, the eastern world has been experiencing since 80s and 90s, and they have just started to see that growth trajectory. The eastern countries are yet to realise the full potential of their liberalised and more integrated economies. 
 
<img alt="" class="img-responsive" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/Infographics_Who_is_next_to_follow-20160627110119.jpg" /> 
 
Resurrecting the walls 
 
But it seems that the western world is now in a reversal. Brexit is a clear indicator and the apparent rise of right-wing parties in other European countries represents that movement towards a more closed inward-looking policy. It has now become their territory, their national policy, their sovereignty. From &#39;our&#39; the world is moving to &#39;my&#39;. Thus, there is a clear swap in the positions of the western and eastern countries. 
 
The fall of the Berlin wall was not just a physical bringing down of the wall but it spoke more to the idea of people in Europe agreeing to share their wealth. 
 
But this backward trend is connected to the 2008 crisis, the result of which various European countries went into a second recession with their sovereign debt crisis. The debtor countries found themselves in deep trouble and were and still are forced to the terms and conditions of the surplus countries. And the entire paradigm about looking at national interests has started taking precedence. 
 
The incoming refugees from Syria and the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels added fuel to the already precarious situation, with the inward-looking mindset gaining more and more momentum. 
 
Maybe we should have listened to Keynes in 1944. 
 
At the Bretton Woods there were two proposals, one by Keynes and other by Henry White. The one that Henry White presented won. So this is probably a good time to ponder on what Keynes said. 
 
Keynes proposed a new currency called Bancor. He said that during the boom period a deficit nation takes more and more debt to fuel growth and a surplus nation also gives it. However, when this phase gets over and things start tumbling then the entire onus lies on the debtor nation and not the surplus one. So he proposed setting up of ICU: International Clearing Unit. 
 
Keynes proposed that any country racking up a large trade deficit (equating to more than half of its Bancor overdraft allowance) would be charged interest on its account. It would also be obliged to reduce the value of its currency and to prevent the export of capital. But -- and this was the key to his system -- he insisted that the nations with a trade surplus would be subject to similar pressures. 
 
Any country with a Bancor credit balance that was more than half the size of its overdraft facility would be charged interest, at a rate of 10%. It would also be obliged to increase the value of its currency and to permit the export of capital. If, by the end of the year, its credit balance exceeded the total value of its permitted overdraft, the surplus would be confiscated. The nations with a surplus would have a powerful incentive to get rid of it. In doing so, they would automatically clear other nations&#39; deficits. 
 
Doubt that world will be able to stop the reversal 
 
When Europe was in upheaval after Brexit, US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump landed in Scotland and declared that America wants itself back too. The challenge is that globalisation has been slow in the East and it is only now that countries like India may be ready to ride the wave. But as the western economies go into a recession, they may be scrambling themselves and not in a position to even deal with the growth in the East. With a world in conflict, the eyes are going to be off the idea of amalgamation, and people will focus on protecting whatever they have, and this move by the UK is just that.

The idea of countries coming together and forming unions slowly fades as each one struggles to protect what it owns

At a time when all of us were convinced that globalisation was firmly perched in the world economic order and that regional trade blocs such as the European Union were the only way forward, here came the divorce of the century -- Brexit. Until a few days ago, it would have not sounded plausible that the British would exit this marriage of 43 years. As a global citizen looking at this vote, it was a bit unbelievable for me too. We have grown up into the idea that we will all move forward and amalgamate into a more just and egalitarian world. It is one thing to talk about amalgamation and telling the world that we believe in equality and quite another, when it comes to accepting the ideas as part of your own reality. We have all heard the British talk about the idea of Commonwealth and how countries that were part of their global empire should continue to stick around. But when it came down to taking their relationship forward with the rest of Europe, many Britons rejected the idea. Details dug in history Bretton Woods system: It all started after the Second World War in 1944 in a small town in New Hampshire in United States where delegates of 44 nations came together to define a new international monetary system. It was at this meeting that the IMF and the World Bank came into existence and all the currencies around the world were pegged to the dollar which was in turn pegged to Bullion. After this, the trade between the countries in the western world started increasing enormously and we saw the birth of globalisation. The outlook of these western countries was more and more outward looking. Talks of working together in a cohesive manner and amalgamation were in the forefront of their scheme of things.. Thus, during 40s and thereafter, the western countries were talking the language of interconnectivity through trade, defence forces (NATO), powerplay at IMF and World Bank and the actual culmination of all this integration and globalisation was seen in the formation of European Union. In the various stages of formation of a union among countries, European Union was just one step away from the final stage where all the countries not only have same trade and monetary policies but also the same fiscal policy. This was termed as an Economic Union and was the step towards the political unification of countries. The time of the East As the time passed, in the 70s and 80s, the Eastern World also started opening up and moved towards adopting more liberalised policies. China is a manufacturing hub and trade-driven economy and none of the countries here is even close to China's share in world trade. The east Asian Tigers also reaped the benefits of opening up their economy to world trade and experienced a tremendous increase in their GDP. After the 1991 liberalisation, India has also reaped benefits of this integrated world. What the western world was experiencing in 40s and 50s, the eastern world has been experiencing since 80s and 90s, and they have just started to see that growth trajectory. The eastern countries are yet to realise the full potential of their liberalised and more integrated economies. Resurrecting the walls But it seems that the western world is now in a reversal. Brexit is a clear indicator and the apparent rise of right-wing parties in other European countries represents that movement towards a more closed inward-looking policy. It has now become their territory, their national policy, their sovereignty. From 'our' the world is moving to 'my'. Thus, there is a clear swap in the positions of the western and eastern countries. The fall of the Berlin wall was not just a physical bringing down of the wall but it spoke more to the idea of people in Europe agreeing to share their wealth. But this backward trend is connected to the 2008 crisis, the result of which various European countries went into a second recession with their sovereign debt crisis. The debtor countries found themselves in deep trouble and were and still are forced to the terms and conditions of the surplus countries. And the entire paradigm about looking at national interests has started taking precedence. The incoming refugees from Syria and the terror attacks in Paris and Brussels added fuel to the already precarious situation, with the inward-looking mindset gaining more and more momentum. Maybe we should have listened to Keynes in 1944. At the Bretton Woods there were two proposals, one by Keynes and other by Henry White. The one that Henry White presented won. So this is probably a good time to ponder on what Keynes said. Keynes proposed a new currency called Bancor. He said that during the boom period a deficit nation takes more and more debt to fuel growth and a surplus nation also gives it. However, when this phase gets over and things start tumbling then the entire onus lies on the debtor nation and not the surplus one. So he proposed setting up of ICU: International Clearing Unit. Keynes proposed that any country racking up a large trade deficit (equating to more than half of its Bancor overdraft allowance) would be charged interest on its account. It would also be obliged to reduce the value of its currency and to prevent the export of capital. But -- and this was the key to his system -- he insisted that the nations with a trade surplus would be subject to similar pressures. Any country with a Bancor credit balance that was more than half the size of its overdraft facility would be charged interest, at a rate of 10%. It would also be obliged to increase the value of its currency and to permit the export of capital. If, by the end of the year, its credit balance exceeded the total value of its permitted overdraft, the surplus would be confiscated. The nations with a surplus would have a powerful incentive to get rid of it. In doing so, they would automatically clear other nations' deficits. Doubt that world will be able to stop the reversal When Europe was in upheaval after Brexit, US Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump landed in Scotland and declared that America wants itself back too. The challenge is that globalisation has been slow in the East and it is only now that countries like India may be ready to ride the wave. But as the western economies go into a recession, they may be scrambling themselves and not in a position to even deal with the growth in the East. With a world in conflict, the eyes are going to be off the idea of amalgamation, and people will focus on protecting whatever they have, and this move by the UK is just that.

McLuhan did not know that the village would be disconnected

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told parliament today that Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union can be a &quot;great opportunity&quot; for the rest of the bloc to make long-needed changes. 
 
Speaking before flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, Renzi said the EU must now focus &quot;a bit more on social issues and a bit less on bureaucratic ones.&quot; 
 
The referendum outcome strengthened the arguments for reform that Italy had often put forward to its partners, and these now had a greater chance of success, Renzi said. 
 
Several top Italian officials have made clear they see the outcome of the British referendum offering opportunities for Italy, especially by allowing it to spend more without falling foul of EU budget deficit limits. 
 
Economy minister Pier Carlo Padoan warned on Saturday the referendum would probably weaken Italy&#39;s already listless economic growth and hit its public finances. Its public debt, at around 133 per cent of gross domestic product, is the highest in the euro zone after Greece&#39;s. 
 
Rome is also hoping to win EU backing as it tries to put together proposals to shore up its ailing banks, whose shares have been hit by heavy sell-offs since Thursday&#39;s referendum. 
 
&quot;More growth and more investment, less austerity and less bureaucracy, this is the line we have proposed for two years, at the beginning in isolation,&quot; Renzi told the chamber of deputies. 
 
&quot;Allow me to say that Brexit can be a great opportunity for Europe.&quot; 
 
The 41-year-old prime minister said it was important that not much time should be spent on deciding the technicalities of Britain&#39;s exit from the EU. 
 
&quot;The referendum result must be respected, otherwise the credibility of Europe will be definitively swept away,&quot; he said. 
 
After months had been spent negotiating better terms for Britain to try to keep it in the EU, it would now be &quot;offensive&quot; if there were further drawn-out negotiations over the procedures for its exit, Renzi said. 
 
(Reuters)

Renzi in his address to the parliament said the EU must now focus 'a bit more on social issues and a bit less on bureaucratic ones'

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told parliament today that Britain's vote to leave the European Union can be a "great opportunity" for the rest of the bloc to make long-needed changes. Speaking before flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, Renzi said the EU must now focus "a bit more on social issues and a bit less on bureaucratic ones." The referendum outcome strengthened the arguments for reform that Italy had often put forward to its partners, and these now had a greater chance of success, Renzi said. Several top Italian officials have made clear they see the outcome of the British referendum offering opportunities for Italy, especially by allowing it to spend more without falling foul of EU budget deficit limits. Economy minister Pier Carlo Padoan warned on Saturday the referendum would probably weaken Italy's already listless economic growth and hit its public finances. Its public debt, at around 133 per cent of gross domestic product, is the highest in the euro zone after Greece's. Rome is also hoping to win EU backing as it tries to put together proposals to shore up its ailing banks, whose shares have been hit by heavy sell-offs since Thursday's referendum. "More growth and more investment, less austerity and less bureaucracy, this is the line we have proposed for two years, at the beginning in isolation," Renzi told the chamber of deputies. "Allow me to say that Brexit can be a great opportunity for Europe." The 41-year-old prime minister said it was important that not much time should be spent on deciding the technicalities of Britain's exit from the EU. "The referendum result must be respected, otherwise the credibility of Europe will be definitively swept away," he said. After months had been spent negotiating better terms for Britain to try to keep it in the EU, it would now be "offensive" if there were further drawn-out negotiations over the procedures for its exit, Renzi said. (Reuters)

Italy says Brexit can be a 'great opportunity' for EU to make long-needed changes

Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union may lead to further volatility in financial markets, finance minister George Osborne said on Monday, but &#39;world&#39;s fifth-biggest economy would cope with the challenge ahead&#39;, he asserted.&nbsp; 
 
Osborne, who was speaking publicly for the first time since Britain voted to leave the bloc on Thursday, said the government had put in place robust contingency plans and there was more action that it and the Bank of England could take. 
 
&quot;Our economy is about as strong as it could be to confront the challenge our country now faces,&quot; he told a news conference at Britain&#39;s finance ministry.&nbsp; 
 
 
Osborne to clarify his political future in coming days&nbsp; 
Osborne&#39;s future as finance minister has come under question after he was on the losing side in the referendum.&nbsp;During the campaign, he said he would have to raise taxes and cut spending in the event of a vote to leave the EU. 
 
On Monday, however, he said the government should wait until the successor to Prime Minister David Cameron is in place before deciding on how to change its fiscal plans in response to the expected slowdown in the economy. 
 
Cameron said on Friday he would stand down but would stay in the job until his successor was in place in October. 
 
&quot;There will be an adjustment in our economy because of the decision that the British people have taken,&quot; Osborne said. 
 
&quot;There will have to be action to deal with the impact on the public finances, but of course it&#39;s perfectly sensible to wait until we have a new prime minister to determine what that will look like,&quot; he said. 
 
Sterling, which fell more than 8 percent against the US dollar on Friday, trimmed some of its losses on Monday as Osborne spoke. 
 
Further, Osborne, who was once the favourite to succeed Cameron, said he would clarify his political future in the coming days. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
 
 
&nbsp;

Osborne said UK government should wait until David Cameron's successor is in place before deciding on how to change its fiscal plans

Britain's vote to leave the European Union may lead to further volatility in financial markets, finance minister George Osborne said on Monday, but 'world's fifth-biggest economy would cope with the challenge ahead', he asserted. Osborne, who was speaking publicly for the first time since Britain voted to leave the bloc on Thursday, said the government had put in place robust contingency plans and there was more action that it and the Bank of England could take. "Our economy is about as strong as it could be to confront the challenge our country now faces," he told a news conference at Britain's finance ministry. Osborne to clarify his political future in coming days Osborne's future as finance minister has come under question after he was on the losing side in the referendum. During the campaign, he said he would have to raise taxes and cut spending in the event of a vote to leave the EU. On Monday, however, he said the government should wait until the successor to Prime Minister David Cameron is in place before deciding on how to change its fiscal plans in response to the expected slowdown in the economy. Cameron said on Friday he would stand down but would stay in the job until his successor was in place in October. "There will be an adjustment in our economy because of the decision that the British people have taken," Osborne said. "There will have to be action to deal with the impact on the public finances, but of course it's perfectly sensible to wait until we have a new prime minister to determine what that will look like," he said. Sterling, which fell more than 8 percent against the US dollar on Friday, trimmed some of its losses on Monday as Osborne spoke. Further, Osborne, who was once the favourite to succeed Cameron, said he would clarify his political future in the coming days. (Reuters)

Economy strong enough to face Brexit vote, Osborne calls for patient approach

Hungary&#39;s government is drawing up a list of incentives to lure companies leaving Britain after the Brexit vote, economy minister Mihaly Varga told business daily Vilaggazdasag in an interview published today. 
 
The interview did not go into details on what sort of offers would be made to persuade companies to move to Hungary, or how far the plan had progressed. 
 
Varga said Britain&#39;s exit from the EU would probably affect Hungary in the longer term, as it would hit the EU&#39;s budget, and thus the development funds flowing to eastern Europe. 
 
But Varga said this was not an immediate issue, as Britain&#39;s negotiations with the EU would last at least for two years, and there was no need to amend Hungary&#39;s budget this year or next. 
 
He said Hungary also had no plan to follow Britain&#39;s example in leaving the EU. 
 
&quot;There is no such intention, no such plan, no such scenario or idea,&quot; Varga told the paper. 
 
He said he expected market turbulence to subside this week after Friday&#39;s sharp falls. 
 
(Reuters)

Budapest has no plan to follow London's example in leaving the EU, said economy minister Mihaly Varga

Hungary's government is drawing up a list of incentives to lure companies leaving Britain after the Brexit vote, economy minister Mihaly Varga told business daily Vilaggazdasag in an interview published today. The interview did not go into details on what sort of offers would be made to persuade companies to move to Hungary, or how far the plan had progressed. Varga said Britain's exit from the EU would probably affect Hungary in the longer term, as it would hit the EU's budget, and thus the development funds flowing to eastern Europe. But Varga said this was not an immediate issue, as Britain's negotiations with the EU would last at least for two years, and there was no need to amend Hungary's budget this year or next. He said Hungary also had no plan to follow Britain's example in leaving the EU. "There is no such intention, no such plan, no such scenario or idea," Varga told the paper. He said he expected market turbulence to subside this week after Friday's sharp falls. (Reuters)

Hungary prepares incentives to lure firms leaving Britain after Brexit vote

Britain&#39;s opposition Labour leader said on Sunday he would not resign despite more than a third of his senior team withdrawing their support for him, plunging the party into crisis in the wake of Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union (EU).&nbsp; 
 
Jeremy Corbyn, elected last year with the overwhelming support from grassroots Labour members, has faced criticism from some Labour lawmakers that he had not done enough to convince millions of voters in the party&#39;s heartlands to back remaining in the EU. 
 
&quot;I regret there have been resignations today from my shadow cabinet. But I am not going to betray the trust of those who voted for me, or the millions of supporters across the country who need Labour to represent them,&quot; Corbyn said in a statement. 
 
&quot;Those who want to change Labour&#39;s leadership will have to stand in a democratic election, in which I will be a candidate.&quot; 
 
After a stinging election defeat for Labour last year, Corbyn won the leadership thanks to grassroots support but he has struggled to win the backing of Labour lawmakers, many of whom find themselves far closer to the centre ground than him. 
 
 
Cameron&#39;s resignation piles pressure on Labour party 
Britain is not due to hold a parliamentary election until 2020, but after Prime Minister David Cameron&#39;s announcement that he would resign after losing the referendum, many expect that one could now be called earlier by his successor &ndash; putting pressure on Labour to present itself as a credible alternative. 
 
&quot;I urge you, because you are a decent man, to do the decent thing and take the only action that can avert potential disaster by stepping aside,&quot; senior lawmaker Chris Bryant said in a letter to Corbyn, which he posted on Twitter. 
 
&quot;If you do so I believe future generations will praise your selflessness. If you refuse to step aside, I fear you will go down in history as the man who broke the Labour Party,&rdquo; the post on the microblogging said.&nbsp; 
 
Bryant, who said he was stepping down from his role in charge of Labour&#39;s parliamentary business, further underlined Corbyn&#39;s &quot;ambivalent attitude&quot; to the EU campaign had betrayed the Labour party and wider movement. 
 
Since the referendum, two Labour lawmakers have submitted a motion of no-confidence in Corbyn, calling for his leadership to be debated at a meeting of the party&#39;s lawmakers on Monday, followed by a secret ballot. 
 
Early on Sunday the Labour leader sacked his foreign policy chief Hilary Benn, after Benn said he had lost confidence in the ability of Corbyn, who is on the party&#39;s far left, to lead Labour. 
 
Over the course of the day, 11 others &ndash; Bryant, Gloria de Piero, Heidi Alexander, Lucy Powell, Ian Murray, Kerry McCarthy, Vernon Coaker, Charles Falconer, Lilian Greenwood, Karl Turner and Seema Malhotra &nbsp;- said they were stepping down from Corbyn&#39;s top team of 30 lawmakers, known as the &quot;shadow cabinet&quot;. 
 
Malhotra, a member of Corbyn&#39;s finance policy team who had introduced him at a speech on Saturday, said Labour needed to strengthen its influence at a time of such political and economic upheaval. 
 
&quot;We need to recognise that we do not currently look like a government in waiting,&quot; she said in a letter to Corbyn, which she also published on Twitter. 
 
Several of the others also said in statements that they doubted Corbyn&#39;s ability to lead the party to victory in the next election. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Stand in an election -- 'In which I will be a candidate' -- if you want to change Labour's leadership, says Britain's Opposition leader

Britain's opposition Labour leader said on Sunday he would not resign despite more than a third of his senior team withdrawing their support for him, plunging the party into crisis in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union (EU). Jeremy Corbyn, elected last year with the overwhelming support from grassroots Labour members, has faced criticism from some Labour lawmakers that he had not done enough to convince millions of voters in the party's heartlands to back remaining in the EU. "I regret there have been resignations today from my shadow cabinet. But I am not going to betray the trust of those who voted for me, or the millions of supporters across the country who need Labour to represent them," Corbyn said in a statement. "Those who want to change Labour's leadership will have to stand in a democratic election, in which I will be a candidate." After a stinging election defeat for Labour last year, Corbyn won the leadership thanks to grassroots support but he has struggled to win the backing of Labour lawmakers, many of whom find themselves far closer to the centre ground than him. Cameron's resignation piles pressure on Labour party Britain is not due to hold a parliamentary election until 2020, but after Prime Minister David Cameron's announcement that he would resign after losing the referendum, many expect that one could now be called earlier by his successor – putting pressure on Labour to present itself as a credible alternative. "I urge you, because you are a decent man, to do the decent thing and take the only action that can avert potential disaster by stepping aside," senior lawmaker Chris Bryant said in a letter to Corbyn, which he posted on Twitter. "If you do so I believe future generations will praise your selflessness. If you refuse to step aside, I fear you will go down in history as the man who broke the Labour Party,” the post on the microblogging said. Bryant, who said he was stepping down from his role in charge of Labour's parliamentary business, further underlined Corbyn's "ambivalent attitude" to the EU campaign had betrayed the Labour party and wider movement. Since the referendum, two Labour lawmakers have submitted a motion of no-confidence in Corbyn, calling for his leadership to be debated at a meeting of the party's lawmakers on Monday, followed by a secret ballot. Early on Sunday the Labour leader sacked his foreign policy chief Hilary Benn, after Benn said he had lost confidence in the ability of Corbyn, who is on the party's far left, to lead Labour. Over the course of the day, 11 others – Bryant, Gloria de Piero, Heidi Alexander, Lucy Powell, Ian Murray, Kerry McCarthy, Vernon Coaker, Charles Falconer, Lilian Greenwood, Karl Turner and Seema Malhotra - said they were stepping down from Corbyn's top team of 30 lawmakers, known as the "shadow cabinet". Malhotra, a member of Corbyn's finance policy team who had introduced him at a speech on Saturday, said Labour needed to strengthen its influence at a time of such political and economic upheaval. "We need to recognise that we do not currently look like a government in waiting," she said in a letter to Corbyn, which she also published on Twitter. Several of the others also said in statements that they doubted Corbyn's ability to lead the party to victory in the next election. (Reuters)

A third of his senior team withdraws support but Corbyn says he will not step down

Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should seek forgiveness from homosexuals for the way they have been treated. 
 
Speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him back to Rome from Armenia, he also said the Church should ask forgiveness for the way it has treated women, for turning a blind eye to child labour and for &quot;blessing so many weapons&quot; in the past. 
 
In the hour-long freewheeling conversation that has become a trademark of his international travels, Francis was asked if he agreed with recent comments by a German Roman Catholic cardinal that the Church should apologise to gays. 
 
Pope recalls Church teachings&nbsp; 
Francis looked sad when the reporter asked if an apology was made more urgent by the killing of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida this month. 
 
He recalled Church teachings that homosexuals &quot;should not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally.&quot; 
 
&quot;I think that the Church not only should apologise ... to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologise for having blessed so many weapons.&quot; 
 
The Church teaches that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste. 
 
Francis repeated a slightly modified version of the now-famous &quot;Who am I to judge?&quot; comment he made about gays on his first foreign trip after his election in 2013. 
 
&quot;The questions is: if a person who has that condition, who has good will, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?&quot; 
 
&#39;Forgiveness, not apology&#39; &nbsp; 
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that the pope, by saying &quot;has that condition&quot;, did not imply a medical condition but &quot;a person in that situation&quot;. In Italian, the word &quot;condition&quot; can also mean &quot;situation&quot;. 
 
&quot;We Christians have to apologise for so many things, not just for this (treatment of gays), but we must ask for forgiveness, not just apologise! Forgiveness! Lord, it is a word we forget so often!&quot; he said. 
 
Francis has been hailed by many in the gay community for being the most merciful pope towards them in recent history and conservative Catholics have criticised him for making comments they say are ambiguous about sexual morality. 
 
He told reporters on the plane &quot;there are traditions in some countries, some cultures, that have a different mentality about this question (homosexuals)&quot; and there are &quot;some (gay) demonstrations that are too offensive for some&quot;. 
 
But he suggested that those were not grounds for discrimination or marginalisation of gays. 
 
Pope insists on &#39;re-creating&#39; while talking about Brexit 
The pope did not elaborate on what he meant by seeking forgiveness for the Church &quot;having blessed so many weapons&quot;, but it appeared to be a reference to some Churchmen who actively backed wars in the past. 
 
In other parts of the conversation, Francis said he hoped the European Union &nbsp;(EU) would be able to give itself another form after the United Kingdom&#39;s decision to leave. 
 
&quot;There is something that is not working in that bulky union, but let&rsquo;s not throw the baby out with the bath water, let&rsquo;s try to jump-start things, to re-create,&quot; he said. 
 
He also denied reports that former Pope Benedict, who resigned in 2013, was still exercising influence inside the Vatican. 
 
&quot;There is only one pope,&quot; he said. He praised Benedict, 89, for &quot;protecting me, having my back, with his prayers&quot;. 
 
Francis said he had heard that when some Church officials had gone to Benedict to complain that Francis was too liberal, Benedict &quot;sent them packing&quot;. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Also says Church should ask forgiveness for how it has treated women, child labour and for 'blessing so many weapons in the past'

Pope Francis said Sunday that Christians and the Roman Catholic Church should seek forgiveness from homosexuals for the way they have been treated. Speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him back to Rome from Armenia, he also said the Church should ask forgiveness for the way it has treated women, for turning a blind eye to child labour and for "blessing so many weapons" in the past. In the hour-long freewheeling conversation that has become a trademark of his international travels, Francis was asked if he agreed with recent comments by a German Roman Catholic cardinal that the Church should apologise to gays. Pope recalls Church teachings Francis looked sad when the reporter asked if an apology was made more urgent by the killing of 49 people at a gay club in Orlando, Florida this month. He recalled Church teachings that homosexuals "should not be discriminated against. They should be respected, accompanied pastorally." "I think that the Church not only should apologise ... to a gay person whom it offended but it must also apologise to the poor as well, to the women who have been exploited, to children who have been exploited by (being forced to) work. It must apologise for having blessed so many weapons." The Church teaches that homosexual tendencies are not sinful but homosexual acts are, and that homosexuals should try to be chaste. Francis repeated a slightly modified version of the now-famous "Who am I to judge?" comment he made about gays on his first foreign trip after his election in 2013. "The questions is: if a person who has that condition, who has good will, and who looks for God, who are we to judge?" 'Forgiveness, not apology' Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said that the pope, by saying "has that condition", did not imply a medical condition but "a person in that situation". In Italian, the word "condition" can also mean "situation". "We Christians have to apologise for so many things, not just for this (treatment of gays), but we must ask for forgiveness, not just apologise! Forgiveness! Lord, it is a word we forget so often!" he said. Francis has been hailed by many in the gay community for being the most merciful pope towards them in recent history and conservative Catholics have criticised him for making comments they say are ambiguous about sexual morality. He told reporters on the plane "there are traditions in some countries, some cultures, that have a different mentality about this question (homosexuals)" and there are "some (gay) demonstrations that are too offensive for some". But he suggested that those were not grounds for discrimination or marginalisation of gays. Pope insists on 're-creating' while talking about Brexit The pope did not elaborate on what he meant by seeking forgiveness for the Church "having blessed so many weapons", but it appeared to be a reference to some Churchmen who actively backed wars in the past. In other parts of the conversation, Francis said he hoped the European Union (EU) would be able to give itself another form after the United Kingdom's decision to leave. "There is something that is not working in that bulky union, but let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water, let’s try to jump-start things, to re-create," he said. He also denied reports that former Pope Benedict, who resigned in 2013, was still exercising influence inside the Vatican. "There is only one pope," he said. He praised Benedict, 89, for "protecting me, having my back, with his prayers". Francis said he had heard that when some Church officials had gone to Benedict to complain that Francis was too liberal, Benedict "sent them packing". (Reuters)

Be a good Christian, ask homosexuals for forgiveness: Pope

Britain could have a new prime minister by early September, the ruling Conservative Party said today, after David Cameron started laying the groundwork for his successor to trigger the country&#39;s exit from the European Union. 
 
The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week&#39;s referendum. 
 
Triggering a leadership battle which could draw in some of his closest advisers, Cameron urged ministers to work together in the meantime. But he also formed a separate unit, staffed by public servants, to help advise Britain on its departure and its options for a future outside the EU. 
 
Graham Brady, chair of the &quot;1922 committee&quot; of Conservative lawmakers which sets the party&#39;s ground rules in parliament, said the group had recommended that the leadership contest should begin next week and conclude no later than Sept. 2. 
 
That recommendation will almost certainly be passed. 
 
&quot;Both the Conservatives and the country more generally really want certainty. We would like a resolution and we think it would be a good thing to conclude this process as soon as we practicably can,&quot; Brady told Sky News. 
 
He said there should be no new parliamentary election before Britain had negotiated the terms of its exit from the EU. 
 
Several Conservative lawmakers have urged leadership candidates to try to broker a deal quickly to make sure that any campaign is as painless as possible, to avoid deepening divisions exposed during the referendum campaign. 
 
&quot;A leadership contest now is not in the interests of our country,&quot; said Justine Greening, international development minister. &quot;It will mean our party focuses inward at the very time our country most needs us to focus outward.&quot; 
 
Jockeying for position 
 
All eyes are on former London mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the &quot;Leave&quot; campaigners and now bookmakers&#39; favourite to succeed Cameron. 
 
But not all party members back him and many are pressing for &quot;Anyone But Boris&quot;, seeing his decision to back the Leave campaign as a betrayal of his former ally Cameron, according to media reports. 
 
Cameron&#39;s spokeswoman declined to comment on the leadership battle and said there had been no discussion at today&#39;s cabinet meeting, which did not include Johnson, about the possibility of an early parliamentary election. 
 
Instead, she said, the Prime Minister had urged unity both in government and in the country and had announced he had set up an advisory unit to help manage Britain&#39;s departure from the European Union and to make sure his successor has all the possible information necessary to decide the country&#39;s future. 
 
The unit would &quot;make sure we have done the groundwork ready for a new prime minister. So it is about preparing advice on the whole range of issues that will need to be looked at, things like transitional issues,&quot; she said, adding that Oliver Letwin, a lawmaker and friend of Cameron&#39;s, would be involved in it. 
 
For now, the priority was working together on government business, which some critics say has been all but put on hold since campaigning for the referendum began in February, and reassuring the many migrants who fear their status may change. 
 
Cameron would not put up with intolerance, she added, after reports that migrants, particularly those from Poland, had been told by some Britons to &quot;go home&quot; after the referendum. 
 
&quot;Across Britain we should be standing together at the moment, to not allow the result of this referendum to divide communities or to provoke fear amongst some.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

All eyes are on former London mayor, Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the 'Leave' campaigners expected to succeed David Cameron

Britain could have a new prime minister by early September, the ruling Conservative Party said today, after David Cameron started laying the groundwork for his successor to trigger the country's exit from the European Union. The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week's referendum. Triggering a leadership battle which could draw in some of his closest advisers, Cameron urged ministers to work together in the meantime. But he also formed a separate unit, staffed by public servants, to help advise Britain on its departure and its options for a future outside the EU. Graham Brady, chair of the "1922 committee" of Conservative lawmakers which sets the party's ground rules in parliament, said the group had recommended that the leadership contest should begin next week and conclude no later than Sept. 2. That recommendation will almost certainly be passed. "Both the Conservatives and the country more generally really want certainty. We would like a resolution and we think it would be a good thing to conclude this process as soon as we practicably can," Brady told Sky News. He said there should be no new parliamentary election before Britain had negotiated the terms of its exit from the EU. Several Conservative lawmakers have urged leadership candidates to try to broker a deal quickly to make sure that any campaign is as painless as possible, to avoid deepening divisions exposed during the referendum campaign. "A leadership contest now is not in the interests of our country," said Justine Greening, international development minister. "It will mean our party focuses inward at the very time our country most needs us to focus outward." Jockeying for position All eyes are on former London mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the "Leave" campaigners and now bookmakers' favourite to succeed Cameron. But not all party members back him and many are pressing for "Anyone But Boris", seeing his decision to back the Leave campaign as a betrayal of his former ally Cameron, according to media reports. Cameron's spokeswoman declined to comment on the leadership battle and said there had been no discussion at today's cabinet meeting, which did not include Johnson, about the possibility of an early parliamentary election. Instead, she said, the Prime Minister had urged unity both in government and in the country and had announced he had set up an advisory unit to help manage Britain's departure from the European Union and to make sure his successor has all the possible information necessary to decide the country's future. The unit would "make sure we have done the groundwork ready for a new prime minister. So it is about preparing advice on the whole range of issues that will need to be looked at, things like transitional issues," she said, adding that Oliver Letwin, a lawmaker and friend of Cameron's, would be involved in it. For now, the priority was working together on government business, which some critics say has been all but put on hold since campaigning for the referendum began in February, and reassuring the many migrants who fear their status may change. Cameron would not put up with intolerance, she added, after reports that migrants, particularly those from Poland, had been told by some Britons to "go home" after the referendum. "Across Britain we should be standing together at the moment, to not allow the result of this referendum to divide communities or to provoke fear amongst some." (Reuters)

Britain may see new PM by early September, readies for Brexit

Heidi Alexander, who resigned as health policy chief for Britain&#39;s opposition Labour Party today, said she expected several of her colleagues in party leader Jeremy Corbyn&#39;s top team to do the same. 
 
The party is in open conflict following Britain`s vote to leave the European Union on Thursday. Labour&#39;s widely respected foreign policy chief Hilary Benn was sacked earlier after saying he had lost confidence in Corbyn. 
 
&quot;I think that there are a fair number,&quot; Alexander told ITV television in response to a question about how many of her colleagues she expected to resign. 
 
&quot;I know from the conversations that I&#39;ve had with colleagues that this is a very difficult time for all of us. It&#39;s not a decision that we want to take but some of the time you do have to take tough decisions in politics and so I know a lot of my colleagues will be asking themselves similar questions to the one I&#39;ve asked myself this morning.&quot; 
 
(Reuters)

Labour's widely respected foreign policy chief Hilary Benn was sacked earlier after saying he had lost confidence in party leader Corbyn

Heidi Alexander, who resigned as health policy chief for Britain's opposition Labour Party today, said she expected several of her colleagues in party leader Jeremy Corbyn's top team to do the same. The party is in open conflict following Britain`s vote to leave the European Union on Thursday. Labour's widely respected foreign policy chief Hilary Benn was sacked earlier after saying he had lost confidence in Corbyn. "I think that there are a fair number," Alexander told ITV television in response to a question about how many of her colleagues she expected to resign. "I know from the conversations that I've had with colleagues that this is a very difficult time for all of us. It's not a decision that we want to take but some of the time you do have to take tough decisions in politics and so I know a lot of my colleagues will be asking themselves similar questions to the one I've asked myself this morning." (Reuters)

'Fair number' of UK Labour policy chiefs to resign: Heidi Alexander

The European parliament&#39;s chief called today for British Prime Minister David Cameron to begin formal proceedings to leave the EU at a summit this week. 
 
Martin Schulz told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that a period of limbo over Brexit would &quot;lead to even more insecurity and thus endanger jobs&quot;. 
 
&quot;Hesitating simply to accommodate the party tactics of the British conservatives hurts everyone,&quot; he said. 
 
&quot;That is why we expect the British government to now deliver. The summit on Tuesday is the right time.&quot; 
 
The four biggest groups in the European parliament have also drawn up a draft resolution calling for Cameron to set the Brexit ball rolling on Tuesday, Germany&#39;s Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported. 
 
This was crucial, the groups wrote, &quot;to avoid damaging uncertainty for all and to preserve the integrity of the union&quot;. 
 
They added that &quot;no new relationship of whatever kind between the United Kingdom and the EU can be agreed before (Britain&#39;s) exit accord has been completed&quot;. 
 
Cameron said on Friday in the wake of the shock referendum outcome favouring Britain leaving the EU that he would resign his office by October and leave negotiations on the so-called &quot;Brexit&quot; to his successor. 
 
To begin the withdrawal process, Britain must invoke Article 50 of the EU&#39;s Lisbon treaty, which has never been used before. 
 
The first step is to inform the European Council of member states which sets the clock ticking on a two-year timetable of negotiations. 
 
The EU will hold a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the fallout from the British vote and the European parliament will also hold a special session. 
 
Foreign ministers from the EU&#39;s six founding states meeting in Berlin on Saturday urged Britain to begin the exit process &quot;as soon as possible&quot;.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Martin Schulz says a period of limbo over Brexit would 'lead to even more insecurity and thus endanger jobs'

The European parliament's chief called today for British Prime Minister David Cameron to begin formal proceedings to leave the EU at a summit this week. Martin Schulz told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag that a period of limbo over Brexit would "lead to even more insecurity and thus endanger jobs". "Hesitating simply to accommodate the party tactics of the British conservatives hurts everyone," he said. "That is why we expect the British government to now deliver. The summit on Tuesday is the right time." The four biggest groups in the European parliament have also drawn up a draft resolution calling for Cameron to set the Brexit ball rolling on Tuesday, Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung reported. This was crucial, the groups wrote, "to avoid damaging uncertainty for all and to preserve the integrity of the union". They added that "no new relationship of whatever kind between the United Kingdom and the EU can be agreed before (Britain's) exit accord has been completed". Cameron said on Friday in the wake of the shock referendum outcome favouring Britain leaving the EU that he would resign his office by October and leave negotiations on the so-called "Brexit" to his successor. To begin the withdrawal process, Britain must invoke Article 50 of the EU's Lisbon treaty, which has never been used before. The first step is to inform the European Council of member states which sets the clock ticking on a two-year timetable of negotiations. The EU will hold a summit on Tuesday and Wednesday to discuss the fallout from the British vote and the European parliament will also hold a special session. Foreign ministers from the EU's six founding states meeting in Berlin on Saturday urged Britain to begin the exit process "as soon as possible". (AFP)

Leave, EU Parliament chief tells Britain, starting Tuesday

Britain need not send a formal letter to the European Union (EU) to trigger a two-year countdown to its exit from the bloc, EU officials said, implying British Prime Minister David Cameron could start the process when he speaks at a summit on Tuesday. 
 
&quot;&#39;Triggering&#39; ... could either be a letter to the president of the European Council or an official statement at a meeting of the European Council duly noted in the official records of the meeting,&quot; a spokesman for the council of EU leaders said. 
 
A second EU official, asked about mounting frustration among leaders with the British prime minister&#39;s delay in delivering the formal notification required to launch divorce proceedings, said: &quot;It doesn&#39;t have to be written. He can just say it.&quot; 
 
Cameron will brief the other 27 national leaders over dinner at a European Council summit in Brussels&nbsp;on Tuesday on the outcome of Thursday&#39;s referendum at which Britons voted to leave the EU, prompting him to announce he will resign. 
 
On Friday, he said he would leave it to his successor as Conservative party leader and premier to trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets out a two-year process to quit the bloc. That appeared to be a reversal of a pledge to launch the process immediately after the vote. It has angered EU leaders who want a quick settlement to limit uncertainty. 
 
Some European leaders still expect Cameron himself to start the process in the coming days or weeks, officials said on Saturday. British officials were not immediately available. 
 
Meanwhile, some Brexit campaigners have long said that Britain should aim to negotiate a comprehensive new relationship with the EU, seeking access to markets without submitting to EU rules or open migration, before binding itself into the two-year timetable that would be fixed for talks if Article 50 is triggered. 
 
Such talk worries EU officials and leaders who fear that a prolonged haggling with London will further increase the risk of a domino effect of nationalist-led demands for exit from other states. They do not see a legal way to force Britain to start the process but have piled political pressure on Cameron to honour his pledge to launch Article 50 negotiations and respect the popular vote. 
 
&#39;Once you trigger it, you cannot take it back&#39;&nbsp; 
The Council spokesman made clear that leaders cannot simply choose to interpret something Cameron says as the trigger without the prime minister saying clearly he means it to be. 
 
&quot;The notification of Article 50 is a formal act and has to be done by the British government to the European Council,&quot; the spokesman said. &quot;It has to be done in an unequivocal manner with the explicit intent to trigger Article 50. 
 
&quot;Negotiations of leaving and the future relationship can only begin after such a formal notification. If it is indeed the intention of the British government to leave the EU, it is therefore in its interest to notify as soon as possible.&quot; 
 
Since the shock vote on Thursday, won 52-48 percent by the Leave camp in defiance of polls and the bulk of the British establishment, there have been calls in Britain for the result to be reviewed or for parliament to ignore the referendum. 
 
The second EU official, asked whether Britain could launch the process and then ask to stay, said that was not foreseen by the treaty: &quot;Once you trigger it, you cannot take it back.&quot; 
 
If a state fails to agree a departure treaty with the others, EU law simply stops applying to it after two years. 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp;

Officials say Britain does not need to send a formal letter to the union, Prime Minister Cameron 'can just say it'

Britain need not send a formal letter to the European Union (EU) to trigger a two-year countdown to its exit from the bloc, EU officials said, implying British Prime Minister David Cameron could start the process when he speaks at a summit on Tuesday. "'Triggering' ... could either be a letter to the president of the European Council or an official statement at a meeting of the European Council duly noted in the official records of the meeting," a spokesman for the council of EU leaders said. A second EU official, asked about mounting frustration among leaders with the British prime minister's delay in delivering the formal notification required to launch divorce proceedings, said: "It doesn't have to be written. He can just say it." Cameron will brief the other 27 national leaders over dinner at a European Council summit in Brussels on Tuesday on the outcome of Thursday's referendum at which Britons voted to leave the EU, prompting him to announce he will resign. On Friday, he said he would leave it to his successor as Conservative party leader and premier to trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets out a two-year process to quit the bloc. That appeared to be a reversal of a pledge to launch the process immediately after the vote. It has angered EU leaders who want a quick settlement to limit uncertainty. Some European leaders still expect Cameron himself to start the process in the coming days or weeks, officials said on Saturday. British officials were not immediately available. Meanwhile, some Brexit campaigners have long said that Britain should aim to negotiate a comprehensive new relationship with the EU, seeking access to markets without submitting to EU rules or open migration, before binding itself into the two-year timetable that would be fixed for talks if Article 50 is triggered. Such talk worries EU officials and leaders who fear that a prolonged haggling with London will further increase the risk of a domino effect of nationalist-led demands for exit from other states. They do not see a legal way to force Britain to start the process but have piled political pressure on Cameron to honour his pledge to launch Article 50 negotiations and respect the popular vote. 'Once you trigger it, you cannot take it back' The Council spokesman made clear that leaders cannot simply choose to interpret something Cameron says as the trigger without the prime minister saying clearly he means it to be. "The notification of Article 50 is a formal act and has to be done by the British government to the European Council," the spokesman said. "It has to be done in an unequivocal manner with the explicit intent to trigger Article 50. "Negotiations of leaving and the future relationship can only begin after such a formal notification. If it is indeed the intention of the British government to leave the EU, it is therefore in its interest to notify as soon as possible." Since the shock vote on Thursday, won 52-48 percent by the Leave camp in defiance of polls and the bulk of the British establishment, there have been calls in Britain for the result to be reviewed or for parliament to ignore the referendum. The second EU official, asked whether Britain could launch the process and then ask to stay, said that was not foreseen by the treaty: "Once you trigger it, you cannot take it back." If a state fails to agree a departure treaty with the others, EU law simply stops applying to it after two years. (Reuters)

Now that you've left... hurry up and leave, the EU tells Britain

Just days after a shock Brexit, Spaniards started voting in repeat elections Sunday to decide if they too want a radical change as promised by a far-left coalition led by Podemos. 
 
The polls, which opened at 0700 GMT under a generally blue sky nationwide, are pitting voters hungry for change in a country with sky-high unemployment against those who fear this change would worsen the situation for Spain, which was on the brink of collapse just a few years ago. 
 
Britain&#39;s surprise vote to leave the European Union has further exacerbated this cleavage, with the outgoing conservative Popular Party (PP) insisting on the need for &quot;stability&quot; in the face of &quot;radicalism&quot; and &quot;populism&quot;, in a thinly-veiled dig at the Unidos Podemos coalition. 
 
&quot;If you want a united country and not a radical Spain, think about it, go for what is safe... vote for the Popular Party,&quot; acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy said in one of his last tweets before the obligatory day of campaign silence. 
 
Voters have the choice between four major political groupings after the emergence of Podemos and centre-right upstart Ciudadanos last year uprooted the country`s two-party dominance.&nbsp;This upheaval meant that the last general elections in December resulted in a hung parliament, after which parties failed to agree on a coalition, prompting Sunday`s repeat vote. 
 
Opinion polls suggest fractured mandate&nbsp; 
Opinion polls suggest the results Sunday will also be fractured, with the PP coming first without a majority, tailed by Unidos Podemos, which could replace the 137-year-old Socialist party as Spain`s main left-wing force. 
 
Political leaders will have to go back to the negotiating table, under more pressure this time to form a coalition.Throughout the latest campaign -- and again on Friday after Brexit -- the PP has hammered away at the need for stability in reference to the rise of Unidos Podemos, which like Greece`s ruling Syriza party rejects EU-backed austerity and pledges to fight for the least well-off. 
 
Electorate on lookout for stable party &nbsp; 
The coalition, led by charismatic, pony-tailed Pablo Iglesias, has responded with a message of calm aimed at defusing this criticism. 
 
Unidos Podemos, the &quot;o&quot; of Unidos shaped as a heart, has made &quot;smile of a country&quot; its slogan for an emotional campaign. 
 
Rajoy argues that since the PP came to power in 2011, it has brought Spain back to growth and overseen a drop in unemployment -- though at 21 percent it is still the second highest rate in the European Union after Greece. 
 
But his rivals retort that inequalities have risen, the jobs created are mainly unstable, and they point to the repeated corruption scandals to have hit the PP. 
 
Ileana Vellon Garcia, a 51-year-old cleaner in Madrid, will vote for Unidos Podemos.&nbsp;&quot;They represent change. I was for the Socialists for a long time, but they have really disappointed me,&quot; she says. 
 
Whether Brexit will have any influence on Spain`s election is as yet uncertain. 
 
But for Vicente Serrano, a 74-year-old retiree in the southeastern port city of Alicante, uncertainty is not a good thing. &quot;At a time of such sudden changes in the world, look at the United Kingdom, I&#39;m opting for the right because it tends to be less fickle,&quot; he says.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)&nbsp; 
 
 
 
 
 
&nbsp;

Last elections were held six months ago, failed to throw up a stable government

Just days after a shock Brexit, Spaniards started voting in repeat elections Sunday to decide if they too want a radical change as promised by a far-left coalition led by Podemos. The polls, which opened at 0700 GMT under a generally blue sky nationwide, are pitting voters hungry for change in a country with sky-high unemployment against those who fear this change would worsen the situation for Spain, which was on the brink of collapse just a few years ago. Britain's surprise vote to leave the European Union has further exacerbated this cleavage, with the outgoing conservative Popular Party (PP) insisting on the need for "stability" in the face of "radicalism" and "populism", in a thinly-veiled dig at the Unidos Podemos coalition. "If you want a united country and not a radical Spain, think about it, go for what is safe... vote for the Popular Party," acting prime minister Mariano Rajoy said in one of his last tweets before the obligatory day of campaign silence. Voters have the choice between four major political groupings after the emergence of Podemos and centre-right upstart Ciudadanos last year uprooted the country`s two-party dominance. This upheaval meant that the last general elections in December resulted in a hung parliament, after which parties failed to agree on a coalition, prompting Sunday`s repeat vote. Opinion polls suggest fractured mandate Opinion polls suggest the results Sunday will also be fractured, with the PP coming first without a majority, tailed by Unidos Podemos, which could replace the 137-year-old Socialist party as Spain`s main left-wing force. Political leaders will have to go back to the negotiating table, under more pressure this time to form a coalition.Throughout the latest campaign -- and again on Friday after Brexit -- the PP has hammered away at the need for stability in reference to the rise of Unidos Podemos, which like Greece`s ruling Syriza party rejects EU-backed austerity and pledges to fight for the least well-off. Electorate on lookout for stable party The coalition, led by charismatic, pony-tailed Pablo Iglesias, has responded with a message of calm aimed at defusing this criticism. Unidos Podemos, the "o" of Unidos shaped as a heart, has made "smile of a country" its slogan for an emotional campaign. Rajoy argues that since the PP came to power in 2011, it has brought Spain back to growth and overseen a drop in unemployment -- though at 21 percent it is still the second highest rate in the European Union after Greece. But his rivals retort that inequalities have risen, the jobs created are mainly unstable, and they point to the repeated corruption scandals to have hit the PP. Ileana Vellon Garcia, a 51-year-old cleaner in Madrid, will vote for Unidos Podemos. "They represent change. I was for the Socialists for a long time, but they have really disappointed me," she says. Whether Brexit will have any influence on Spain`s election is as yet uncertain. But for Vicente Serrano, a 74-year-old retiree in the southeastern port city of Alicante, uncertainty is not a good thing. "At a time of such sudden changes in the world, look at the United Kingdom, I'm opting for the right because it tends to be less fickle," he says. (AFP)

Spain goes to the polls

Top US diplomat John Kerry will fly to Brussels and London on Monday for talks with Washington&#39;s key allies in the aftermath of Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union. 
 
US officials travelling to Rome with the secretary of state told reporters on the flight that two stops had been added to his European itinerary at the last moment. 
 
&quot;Tomorrow we&#39;ll go to Brussels and then on to London,&quot; one official said. 
 
Washington was dismayed last week when British voters chose to leave the European Union, a decision that triggered global economic uncertainty and fears other EU members will follow suit. 
 
President Barack Obama had made clear his concern about the Brexit referendum, and now US officials are scrambling to try to stop the political crisis harming Western unity. 
 
Kerry arrived in Rome today on a planned visit to have lunch with Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and a working dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 
 
But officials on his flight said that on Monday he would fly on to the EU headquarters in Brussels for crisis talks with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. 
 
Mogherini had been expected to meet Kerry in Rome today, but she was busy dealing with the fallout of the dramatic vote, which stunned European and world leaders. 
 
From Brussels Kerry will continue to London to see Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and other officials from outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron`s government. 
 
The two senior diplomats are expected to hold a joint news conference before Kerry leaves to return to Washington. 
 
Obama and Kerry have been at pains to insist the vaunted &quot;special relationship&quot; between Washington and London will survive what US officials view as the Brexit debacle.But Washington foreign policy experts are all but unanimous in assessing that the White House will increasingly turn to core EU allies to defend its interests on the continent. 
 
Obama himself, on a visit to London last month, warned British voters that their nation would go &quot;to the back of the queue&quot; for a US trade deal if they voted &quot;out.&quot; 
 
US officials are also keen to help London`s divorce from Brussels go through smoothly without further inflicting further damage on skittish world financial markets. 
 
But they, like many EU capitals, are also concerned not to allow Brexit to serve as an inspiration for eurosceptic forces in other members such as Italy or The Netherlands. 
 
The London visit will be the first by a senior US official since Thursday`s dramatic referendum, when voters demanded Britain leave the world`s richest trading bloc.&nbsp; 
 
Kerry&#39;s trip had originally been planned as an opportunity to meet Netanyahu and discuss regional security and the stalled Israel-Palestinian peace process. 
 
But US officials played down the chance of any concrete progress, insisting that the pair meet regularly and that no new initiative would be on the table.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

London visit will be the first by John Kerry after the referendum when voters demanded Britain leave the world's richest trading bloc

Top US diplomat John Kerry will fly to Brussels and London on Monday for talks with Washington's key allies in the aftermath of Britain's vote to leave the European Union. US officials travelling to Rome with the secretary of state told reporters on the flight that two stops had been added to his European itinerary at the last moment. "Tomorrow we'll go to Brussels and then on to London," one official said. Washington was dismayed last week when British voters chose to leave the European Union, a decision that triggered global economic uncertainty and fears other EU members will follow suit. President Barack Obama had made clear his concern about the Brexit referendum, and now US officials are scrambling to try to stop the political crisis harming Western unity. Kerry arrived in Rome today on a planned visit to have lunch with Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and a working dinner with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But officials on his flight said that on Monday he would fly on to the EU headquarters in Brussels for crisis talks with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini. Mogherini had been expected to meet Kerry in Rome today, but she was busy dealing with the fallout of the dramatic vote, which stunned European and world leaders. From Brussels Kerry will continue to London to see Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and other officials from outgoing British Prime Minister David Cameron`s government. The two senior diplomats are expected to hold a joint news conference before Kerry leaves to return to Washington. Obama and Kerry have been at pains to insist the vaunted "special relationship" between Washington and London will survive what US officials view as the Brexit debacle.But Washington foreign policy experts are all but unanimous in assessing that the White House will increasingly turn to core EU allies to defend its interests on the continent. Obama himself, on a visit to London last month, warned British voters that their nation would go "to the back of the queue" for a US trade deal if they voted "out." US officials are also keen to help London`s divorce from Brussels go through smoothly without further inflicting further damage on skittish world financial markets. But they, like many EU capitals, are also concerned not to allow Brexit to serve as an inspiration for eurosceptic forces in other members such as Italy or The Netherlands. The London visit will be the first by a senior US official since Thursday`s dramatic referendum, when voters demanded Britain leave the world`s richest trading bloc. Kerry's trip had originally been planned as an opportunity to meet Netanyahu and discuss regional security and the stalled Israel-Palestinian peace process. But US officials played down the chance of any concrete progress, insisting that the pair meet regularly and that no new initiative would be on the table. (AFP)

Top US envoy Kerry heads to Britain amid Brexit crisis

Britain&#39;s opposition Labour party plunged into turmoil today and the prospect of Scottish independence drew closer, ahead of a showdown with EU leaders over the country&#39;s seismic vote to leave the bloc. 
 
Two days after Prime Minister David Cameron resigned over his failure to keep Britain in the European Union, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced a revolt by his lawmakers who called for him, too, to quit. 
 
US secretary of state John Kerry will also fly first to Brussels and then on to London on Monday, amid dismay in Washington over Britain&#39;s decision. 
 
European leaders have called for a swift divorce amid fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the 28-country alliance. 
 
Britain&#39;s political world is in disarray, while two new polls today showed a surge in support for independence in Scotland, where voters defied the national mood and chose to stay in the EU. 
 
European leaders meet on Monday to discuss the result, which wiped $2.1 trillion from global equity markets Friday amid fears of a new threat to the global economy. 
 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and EU President Donald Tusk for talks in Berlin. 
 
Cameron is then due to attend a summit of EU leaders on Tuesday to explain Britain&#39;s decision. 
 
Britons cast aside warnings of isolation and economic disaster to vote 52 percent to 48 percent in favour of quitting the EU in Thursday&#39;s referendum. 
 
The historic vote, fought on the battlefronts of the economy and immigration, exposed deep divisions in the country that politicians are scrambling to respond to. 
 
Cameron has said he will stay on until a successor is found from within his governing Conservative party, which could take until October, at which point the new prime minister will launch the EU exit negotiations. 
 
But EU foreign ministers on Saturday urged Britain not to delay, with France&#39;s Jean-Marc Ayrault directly calling on Cameron to go quickly. 
 
&quot;A new prime minister must be designated, that will take a few days but there is a certain urgency,&quot; he told AFP. 
 
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain&#39;s exit talks should not &quot;drag on forever&quot; but said that until they were completed, Britain would remain a fully-fledged EU member. 
 
&quot;There is no reason to be nasty in the negotiations. We have to follow the rules of the game,&quot; she said. 
 
Labour revolt 
 
Likely candidates to succeed Cameron, including Brexit campaigner and former London mayor Boris Johnson, began sounding out support over the weekend. 
 
The referendum decision has also lit a fuse under disgruntled members of the Labour party, many of whom have been unhappy with Corbyn&#39;s leadership since he took office last September. 
 
Support for leaving the European Union was strong across northern England, the Midlands and Wales, including many areas that traditional vote Labour. 
 
The party leadership had campaigned to stay in the EU, but critics accuse Corbyn of failing to reach out to working-class voters drawn in by the &quot;Leave&quot; camp&#39;s anti-establishment rhetoric. 
 
After a symbolic vote of no confidence on Friday against Corbyn, he sacked foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn late Saturday for challenging his leadership. 
 
Hours later, health spokeswoman Heidi Alexander quit, and media reports suggested several other colleagues were poised to join her.&nbsp; 
 
&quot;I do not believe you have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding,&quot; Alexander wrote in her resignation letter. 
 
But allies of the veteran socialist said he had no plans to step down. &quot;He&#39;s not going anywhere,&quot; finance spokesman John McDonnell told BBC television. 
 
The motion of no confidence is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party on Monday. 
 
Any challenger would need the support of 20 percent of the party&#39;s 229 MPs and it would then be put to party members. 
 
Boost for Scottish independence&nbsp; 
 
As Westminster politicians bickered, Scotland appeared to be moving closer towards independence, just two years after they voted by 55 per cent to stay in the UK. 
 
&quot;The UK that Scotland voted to stay in in 2014 does not exist any more,&quot; First Minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon told BBC television Sunday. 
 
Scots had defied the national trend and voted to remain in the European Union, and the prospect of being taken out against their will has boosted the nationalist cause. 
 
Two polls today support for independence at 59 percent and 52 percent respectively. 
 
Sturgeon has said a second independence referendum was now &quot;highly likely&quot;, and a meeting of her cabinet on Saturday agreed to start drawing up the necessary legislation. 
 
&quot;This is not going to be a re-run of the 2014 referendum. The context and the circumstances have changed dramatically,&quot; she told the BBC. 
 
Across Britain, more than three million Britons signed up to a rapidly-growing petition on an official government website pleading for a new vote. 
 
The number of signatories far surpassed the 100,000 required for a proposal to be discussed in the House of Commons. A committee will consider the motion on Tuesday.&nbsp; 
 
(AFP)

Scots defied the national mood and voted to stay on in EU. The 'leave' sentiment was strong in northern England, Midlands and Wales

Britain's opposition Labour party plunged into turmoil today and the prospect of Scottish independence drew closer, ahead of a showdown with EU leaders over the country's seismic vote to leave the bloc. Two days after Prime Minister David Cameron resigned over his failure to keep Britain in the European Union, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn faced a revolt by his lawmakers who called for him, too, to quit. US secretary of state John Kerry will also fly first to Brussels and then on to London on Monday, amid dismay in Washington over Britain's decision. European leaders have called for a swift divorce amid fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the 28-country alliance. Britain's political world is in disarray, while two new polls today showed a surge in support for independence in Scotland, where voters defied the national mood and chose to stay in the EU. European leaders meet on Monday to discuss the result, which wiped $2.1 trillion from global equity markets Friday amid fears of a new threat to the global economy. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will host French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and EU President Donald Tusk for talks in Berlin. Cameron is then due to attend a summit of EU leaders on Tuesday to explain Britain's decision. Britons cast aside warnings of isolation and economic disaster to vote 52 percent to 48 percent in favour of quitting the EU in Thursday's referendum. The historic vote, fought on the battlefronts of the economy and immigration, exposed deep divisions in the country that politicians are scrambling to respond to. Cameron has said he will stay on until a successor is found from within his governing Conservative party, which could take until October, at which point the new prime minister will launch the EU exit negotiations. But EU foreign ministers on Saturday urged Britain not to delay, with France's Jean-Marc Ayrault directly calling on Cameron to go quickly. "A new prime minister must be designated, that will take a few days but there is a certain urgency," he told AFP. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain's exit talks should not "drag on forever" but said that until they were completed, Britain would remain a fully-fledged EU member. "There is no reason to be nasty in the negotiations. We have to follow the rules of the game," she said. Labour revolt Likely candidates to succeed Cameron, including Brexit campaigner and former London mayor Boris Johnson, began sounding out support over the weekend. The referendum decision has also lit a fuse under disgruntled members of the Labour party, many of whom have been unhappy with Corbyn's leadership since he took office last September. Support for leaving the European Union was strong across northern England, the Midlands and Wales, including many areas that traditional vote Labour. The party leadership had campaigned to stay in the EU, but critics accuse Corbyn of failing to reach out to working-class voters drawn in by the "Leave" camp's anti-establishment rhetoric. After a symbolic vote of no confidence on Friday against Corbyn, he sacked foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn late Saturday for challenging his leadership. Hours later, health spokeswoman Heidi Alexander quit, and media reports suggested several other colleagues were poised to join her. "I do not believe you have the capacity to shape the answers our country is demanding," Alexander wrote in her resignation letter. But allies of the veteran socialist said he had no plans to step down. "He's not going anywhere," finance spokesman John McDonnell told BBC television. The motion of no confidence is expected to be discussed at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour party on Monday. Any challenger would need the support of 20 percent of the party's 229 MPs and it would then be put to party members. Boost for Scottish independence As Westminster politicians bickered, Scotland appeared to be moving closer towards independence, just two years after they voted by 55 per cent to stay in the UK. "The UK that Scotland voted to stay in in 2014 does not exist any more," First Minister and Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon told BBC television Sunday. Scots had defied the national trend and voted to remain in the European Union, and the prospect of being taken out against their will has boosted the nationalist cause. Two polls today support for independence at 59 percent and 52 percent respectively. Sturgeon has said a second independence referendum was now "highly likely", and a meeting of her cabinet on Saturday agreed to start drawing up the necessary legislation. "This is not going to be a re-run of the 2014 referendum. The context and the circumstances have changed dramatically," she told the BBC. Across Britain, more than three million Britons signed up to a rapidly-growing petition on an official government website pleading for a new vote. The number of signatories far surpassed the 100,000 required for a proposal to be discussed in the House of Commons. A committee will consider the motion on Tuesday. (AFP)

UK's split with EU boosts Scottish nationalists

Seven members of Britain&#39;s opposition Labour Party said on Sunday they had withdrawn support for the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, plunging the party into crisis in the wake of Britain&#39;s vote to leave the European Union. 
 
Corbyn sacked Hilary Benn as Labour&#39;s foreign policy chief today after he said he had lost confidence in the leadership. Gloria de Piero, Heidi Alexander, Lucy Powell and Ian Murray all announced they were withdrawing support and stepping down from Corbyn&#39;s &#39;shadow cabinet&#39;. 
 
Sky News television reported that Lilian Greenwood and Kerry Mccarthy had also resigned. 
 
Several said in statements that they doubted Corbyn&#39;s ability to lead the party to victory in the country&#39;s next parliamentary election. 
 
A vote must take place within months after Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Friday he would step down by October after Britain voted to leave the European Union. 
 
(Reuters)

Gloria de Piero, Heidi Alexander, Lucy Powell and Ian Murray announced they were withdrawing support and resigning from shadow cabinet

Seven members of Britain's opposition Labour Party said on Sunday they had withdrawn support for the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, plunging the party into crisis in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the European Union. Corbyn sacked Hilary Benn as Labour's foreign policy chief today after he said he had lost confidence in the leadership. Gloria de Piero, Heidi Alexander, Lucy Powell and Ian Murray all announced they were withdrawing support and stepping down from Corbyn's 'shadow cabinet'. Sky News television reported that Lilian Greenwood and Kerry Mccarthy had also resigned. Several said in statements that they doubted Corbyn's ability to lead the party to victory in the country's next parliamentary election. A vote must take place within months after Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron announced on Friday he would step down by October after Britain voted to leave the European Union. (Reuters)

Seven of Labour withdraw support from Corbyn

One of the key &quot;Leave&quot;&nbsp;campaigners in Britain`s European Union (EU) membership referendum, Boris Johnson, has won the backing of Justice minister Michael Gove to replace David Cameron as prime minister, a newspaper has reported. 
 
Gove reportedly called Johnson by telephone on Saturday to say he would back him for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, The Sunday Times said. 
 
After voters in the referendum took the historic decision to back the &quot;Leave&quot; campaign which was led by Johnson and Gove, Cameron announced on Friday that he would step down as prime minister by October. Cameron had urged voters to stay in the bloc. 
 
The Sunday Times said interior minister Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest in the coming days and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron who see her as the best candidate to take on Johnson, a former London mayor. 
 
May supported the &quot;Remain&quot; campaign but took a lower profile than Cameron and finance minister George Osborne, whose hopes of becoming the party`s next leader took a big blow with the outcome of the referendum.&nbsp; 
 
(Reuters)&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron, reports suggest

One of the key "Leave" campaigners in Britain`s European Union (EU) membership referendum, Boris Johnson, has won the backing of Justice minister Michael Gove to replace David Cameron as prime minister, a newspaper has reported. Gove reportedly called Johnson by telephone on Saturday to say he would back him for the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, The Sunday Times said. After voters in the referendum took the historic decision to back the "Leave" campaign which was led by Johnson and Gove, Cameron announced on Friday that he would step down as prime minister by October. Cameron had urged voters to stay in the bloc. The Sunday Times said interior minister Theresa May was expected to enter the leadership contest in the coming days and was likely to get support from allies of Cameron who see her as the best candidate to take on Johnson, a former London mayor. May supported the "Remain" campaign but took a lower profile than Cameron and finance minister George Osborne, whose hopes of becoming the party`s next leader took a big blow with the outcome of the referendum. (Reuters)

Boris Johnson wins justice minister's backing to replace Cameron as PM

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