Lastest: Hollande says Brexit fallout can be managed

Lastest: Hollande says Brexit fallout can be managed


5 photos
Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 21-22 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on Britain's vote to leave the European Union (all times local):

12:50 a.m.

French President Francois Hollande says that the economic impact of Britain's decision to leave the European Union can be managed if the right growth-boosting measures are put in place.

Hollande said that if nothing is done "there could be a risk that investments do not happen, and that it could have consequences."

He reacted to reports that up to 0.5 percent of growth compared to the baseline scenario could be lost over the next three years in case of a British exit.

With enough investment boosting decisions, Hollande said, "then we can perfectly manage these risks."

____

12:25 a.m.

French President Francois Hollande says that Britain will not be able to cherry pick just what it wants from the European Union in its future relationship, especially when it comes to free movement of people.

Immigration and an influx of non-British EU citizens into the UK was a key theme of the referendum campaign which led Britain to vote to leave the EU. Hollande said Britain will not simply be able to say now to keep foreigners out while keeping all other business advantages of the EU's seamless single market.

"The four freedoms: we cannot have the freedom of capital movement, the freedom of goods, the freedom of services and then say, 'when it comes to people, stay put!' Well no, it doesn't work that way. It is the four freedoms or none," Hollande said.

"We cannot move on that," he said.

____

12:11 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she believes the British decision to leave the European Union can't be undone.

Merkel said of last Thursday's referendum decision after meeting with her fellow EU leaders: "I see no way to reverse it."

She said Tuesday that this is not a time for "wishful thinking."

Some 52 percent of British voters decided last week to leave the 28-nation bloc.

___

11:43 p.m.

EU Council President Donald Tusk says the bloc's leaders want UK exit plans to 'to be specified as soon as possible."

Tusk said the leaders respected the will of British voters in deciding to leave and understood that the U.K. would trigger the exit clause at some point in the near future.

Despite the tensions since Thursday's referendum, Tusk said the summit talks with Cameron "were calm and pleasant."

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker added: "We don't have months to meditate, we have to act."

___

11:39 p.m.

British Prime Minister David Cameron is saying after meeting fellow European Union leaders that "everyone wants to see a clear model appear" for his country's future relations with the bloc.

But Cameron said there was "a lot of understanding" at what will likely be his final EU summit that London needs time to formally trigger the start of negotiations.

He said that he "can't put a time frame on that."

Cameron acknowledged that "it is impossible to have all of the benefits of membership without some of the costs of membership."

___

8:15 p.m.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says in an impassioned plea for Europe that there is no quick fix for fractures exposed by the British referendum because the reasons that nations adhere to the European Union must be reinvented.

He says some aspects of Britain's EU exit must be dealt with urgently but "the process of re-founding Europe will take time."

Speaking Tuesday to French lawmakers, Valls warned those who think that national sovereignty is strengthened by doing away with Europe to think again. But he stressed the EU cannot be above individual nations.

"Each of our nations has its own characteristics," Valls said. "Only a union can protect them."

Valls suggested that national parliaments should have a voice in Europe-wide decisions.

___

6:55 p.m.

President Barack Obama says he doesn't anticipate "major, cataclysmic changes" as a result of Britain's pending exit from the 28-nation European Union.

Speaking to NPR, Obama also says there are more differences than similarities when it comes to Britain's election compared with the presidential election in the United States, where discontent has fueled Republican Donald Trump's rise.

Obama says Europe hasn't fared as well as the United States since the financial crisis that struck in 2008, and some residents believed the EU was moving ahead without as much consensus as it should.

Obama says one similarity he sees in the two elections is the ability some candidates have to tap into peoples' fears.

___

6:10 p.m.

Britain's Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn says he won't resign despite a vote of no confidence from his party's lawmakers.

Corbyn said Tuesday the vote has no constitutional legitimacy. He said he will not "betray" his supporters by resigning.

The main opposition party's lawmakers earlier passed an overwhelming vote of no confidence and many called for him to step down as party leader.

Corbyn has been criticized severely for his weak performance during the European Union referendum campaign, which ended with Britain voting to leave the EU. The Labour Party backed staying in the bloc but many said Corbyn campaigned poorly. He may now face a formal leadership contest.

___

6:05 p.m.

The prime ministers of four central European countries say the European Union needs to be reformed to renew the trust of citizens in its institutions.

The prime ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia also said the forthcoming exit negotiations between the EU and Britain must not leave EU members and their businesses in a worse position than Britain and its companies.

They said the EU should focus on economic growth, an increase of prosperity and the development of a common security policy.

The four countries form an informal bloc known as the Visegrad Group and released a joint statement ahead of a summit of EU leaders in Brussels Tuesday.

___

5:50 p.m.

A European Union official says EU President Donald Tusk has no plans to meet with Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon on Wednesday because the situation at the moment is too delicate.

Sturgeon says there can't be three months of drift until a new leader is chosen for Britain, and has indicated there might be a new referendum vote on Scottish independence.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that "this is not the right, appropriate moment to meet."

Sturgeon has said she would travel to Brussels on Wednesday to make Scotland's views known, a day after British Prime Minister David Cameron said at an EU summit the country would leave the EU.

Speaking at the Scottish parliament at Holyrood she said being removed from the EU would be against the will of the Scottish people.

By Raf Casert in Brussels.

___

5:45 p.m.

British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn has lost a confidence vote among the party's lawmakers.

The vote is non-binding and so far Corbyn has indicated he won't step down as head of the main opposition party.

He has lost much of his support in the parliamentary ranks of the Labour Party after Britain voted to leave the European Union last week, but claims he still has support in the party's rank and file.

British media reported 172 lawmakers voted against Corbyn while 40 voted in his favor.

Key members have called for Corbyn to step down.

___

5:10 p.m.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his country is committed to remain a member of the European Union despite Britain's departure but is warning that Europe must get migration under control.

Orban told reporters at an EU summit Tuesday that "if the EU cannot solve the migration situation, then the challenges we experienced now in the case of the United Kingdom, will grow."

He said countries like Hungary, which has taken a hard line against the arrival of migrants, "are criticized instead of being recognized and supported."

Orban said: "This is a bad policy."

___

4:30 p.m.

Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says he hopes his British counterpart "will be met with understanding" after the U.K. voted to leave the European Union.

Loekke Rasmussen said upon arrival at an EU summit in Brussels Tuesday that EU skepticism wasn't just a British issue, adding "what we have seen in Britain, it could have happened elsewhere. We need to take this seriously."

Loekke Rasmussen added "it makes sense to admit that Britain needs time" to negotiate its exit from the 28-nation bloc.

His Swedish counterpart Stefan Lofven said "it would be great if the United Kingdom told us as quickly as possible what they want."

The outgoing British leader was expected to say at Thursday's meeting that exit talks might not be launched before October.

___

4:20 p.m.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras says the crisis caused by the British decision to leave the European Union was predictable because the EU has disregarded core principles of democracy for too long.

Tsipras has been at loggerheads with the EU leadership for well over a year as he has negotiated stringent austerity conditions to obtain bailout funds for his country. During those times he often decried the lack of openness of the EU.

Tsipras said coming into the EU summit Tuesday that "Europe has reached a predictable crisis because of the democratic deficit, because of the absence of social cohesion and solidarity."

He said he hoped "that the outcome of the British referendum will work as a wakeup call for Europe."

In a direct attack on EU policies, he said there was a need "to replace austerity with growth, to replace division with convergence, to replace unemployment with decent jobs and endless negotiations behind closed doors with transparency and democracy."

___

4:15 p.m.

In contrast to recent speeches on Britain's future in the European Union, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker didn't speak English Tuesday as he lamented the U.K.'s departure from the bloc.

Juncker's official speech to EU lawmakers was made only in French and German.

He did, however, respond to hecklers among the British EU lawmakers in English.

Previously, Juncker has often used the EU's most widely spoken and written language as well, particularly when addressing issues close to British hearts.

It's unclear whether the move was a political message from one of Europe's longest serving leaders, or an act of caution due to criticism he has received for making mistakes in English in the past.

___

4:05 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says it is "important that we still view Britain as a friend and partner," despite its decision to leave the bloc.

She insisted though that "there will be no informal or formal talks before Britain has used Article 50" of the EU treaty, which will formally start the process of negotiating Britain's withdrawal from the 28-nation bloc.

Merkel was speaking as she arrived at a summit of EU leaders in Brussels Tuesday.

With the departure of Britain from the EU, the role of Germany is widely expected to become even more predominant.

___

4:00 p.m.

The string of incidents involving harassment of immigrants reported after Britain's vote to leave the European Union is continuing.

On Tuesday a group of white British men wearing shirts calling for the "repatriation" of immigrants started shouting at a Turkish family a few blocks away from Parliament and Big Ben.

Adalet Abdullatif, 28, from Istanbul, said the family had come to see relatives and "to show our children some of the tourist sites."

He said: "All of a sudden these men come out of nowhere, shouting at us and telling us to go home. We thought they were going to attack us. It's frightening for us and for our children."

In Manchester city center, there was a confrontation on a tram when three white teenagers started shouting vulgar abuse at a man and, according to an eyewitness, telling him to be deported. At one point the youths threw a liquid on the man.

Police said there had been several cases of vandalism and xenophobic graffiti sprawled on London buildings overnight.

___

3:50 p.m.

French President Francois Hollande is urging Britain to start talks on leaving the EU "as fast as possible" and says the rest of the union has "no time to lose" to plan its future without the British.

Hollande spoke Tuesday upon arrival at an exceptional EU summit dealing with Britain's vote to leave last week. No country has left the EU, formed to prevent conflict via free trade after two world wars.

Hollande acknowledges it is a historic moment but insisted "history continues" and said "Europe doesn't stop" with the British exit vote.

___

3:25 p.m.

Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel is clearly from the social media age, even when he discusses the departure of Britain from the European Union.

The 43-year-old leader of the Grand Duchy was looking for clarity following last week's British referendum to leave the bloc and wanted talks to be clear-cut and start as soon as possible.

"We are not on Facebook, where things are complicated. We are married or divorced but not something in between," Bettel said.

He also wants the other EU nations to make clear where the future lies when they meet without British Prime minister David Cameron on Wednesday. "What I want is that at 27, we get a deal on a roadmap to have clarity. The worst would be to disagree and not know where we are going."

___

3:15 p.m.

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says there can't be three months of drift until a new leader is chosen for United Kingdom after the prime minister announced his resignation following the country's referendum vote to leave the European Union.

Sturgeon said Tuesday she will be traveling to Brussels on Wednesday to make Scotland's views known. Speaking at the Scottish parliament at Holyrood she said being removed from the EU would be against the will of the Scottish people.

___

2:15 p.m.

Germany says that if Britain restricts the right of European Union migrants to live and work in Britain it can't expect unrestricted access to the bloc's common market.

Concerns about EU migrants were one of the main factors driving the "leave" campaign in Britain's referendum on EU membership.

A spokesman for Germany's Foreign Ministry, Martin Schaefer, said Tuesday that restrictions on EU migrants would have "consequences" for Britain's ability to trade with the remaining 27 members of the EU.

___

2:10 p.m.

British Prime Minister David Cameron says he hopes talks on Britain leaving the EU can be as constructive as possible and insists the British people "mustn't turn our backs on Europe."

Arriving at a historic EU summit at which he will announce his country is leaving the bloc, Cameron said, "These countries are our neighbors, our friends, our allies, our partners."

Cameron announced his resignation after last week's British referendum to leave the EU and has said his successor will negotiate the departure.

He said Tuesday: "I very much hope we'll seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and cooperation and security, because that is good for us and good for them."

Britain is the first country to leave the EU.

___

2 p.m.

NATO's chief plans to attend a European Union summit to discuss the security implications of Britain's vote to leave the EU and how the two organizations should respond.

Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO secretary-general, is expected to meet with EU leaders Tuesday afternoon as they begin a two-day summit in Brussels.

British voters' decision last Thursday to quit the EU confronts the bloc with a major internal rift at the same time it faces numerous challenges from outside, including a migrant crisis, a resurgent Russia and violent extremist groups like Islamic State.

NATO and the EU have been increasingly trying to coordinate their response to such security threats. Brussels-based analyst Bruno Lete said the internal division in the EU caused by Britain's exit is "bad news" for that effort.

___

1:55 p.m.

The U.N. human rights chief is urging British authorities to stop "xenophobic attacks" that have surged in number following Britain's decision to leave the European Union.

Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein says Tuesday he is "deeply concerned" about reports of attacks targeting minority communities and foreigners in Britain. Concerns about immigration were a key factor in Britain's vote Thursday to leave the 28-country bloc.

The rights chief urged British authorities to prosecute those behind the attacks, saying racism and xenophobia are "completely, totally and utterly unacceptable in any circumstances."

Britain's National Police Chiefs' Council on Monday reported a 57percent rise in hate-crime complaints over the past four days compared to the same period in May. Police are investigating vandalism at a Polish cultural center in west London, among other incidents.

___

1:45 p.m.

Sweden's immigration agency says they have seen six times more British nationals applying for Sweden citizenship than normal, saying it is too early to say whether that is a trend.

Annette Grafen Silander, a spokeswoman for Migrationsverket, says the government agency has seen "a record" 129 applications since Thursday's vote in Britain on leaving the 28-nation European Union. In contrast, she says the normal rate is about 20 submissions per week. Sweden is a member of the EU but, like Britain, has its own currency.

Silander didn't speculate as to what may have caused the increase, but Gavin Maycroft, a Briton who has lived in Sweden for nine years, told Swedish radio "the obvious reason is that I want to stay within the EU and I want to make sure that I securely keep myself within it."

___

1:25 p.m.

EU President Donald Tusk says holding off on a meeting of EU leaders on the bloc's future until September will avoid rushing into reform after the British decided to leave in a referendum vote.

The meeting will be in Slovakia, which will hold the EU presidency at that time. Britain will not be invited.

"We need a few weeks to prepare this process and maybe the best place will be Bratislava," said Tusk.

___

1:20 p.m.

European Council chief Donald Tusk says the EU will hold a meeting in the Slovak capital, Bratislava, in September to assess the European Union's future in the wake of Britain's vote to leave the bloc.

Speaking in Brussels, he said he said the union would, however, not be able to begin negotiations on the exit until the British government has formally declared its intention to go. That "is the only legal way," he said.

___

12:10 p.m.

Nigel Farage, the leader of the anti-Europe U.K. Independence Party, says that the British "now offer a beacon of hope" to the rest of the European continent" after they voted to leave the European Union last week.

Farage predicted that "the U.K. will not be the last member state to leave the European Union." In the wake of last Thursday's vote, opposition parties in the Netherlands, France and Finland have already called for similar votes on whether to stay or leave the EU.

Farage said that he wanted out negotiations to start swiftly but insisted that "even no deal is better for the United Kingdom than the current rotten deal that we got."

Farage was booed and jeered when he urged the EU to give Britain a good trade deal when it leaves, saying that jobs in Germany's auto sector might be at stake if it didn't.

___

11:45 a.m.

One of opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's closest allies has acknowledged he may lose a vote of no confidence being pressed by party lawmakers following Britain's vote to leave the European Union.

Diane Abbott, the party's spokeswoman on health issues, says a leadership contest is now inevitable to oust Corbyn, who offered lackluster support for Britain staying in the 28 nation bloc.

Some 40 members of Corbyn's inner circle have resigned, accusing Corbyn of lacking the ability to lead the party. Party rebels hope that a vote of no confidence will force him to quit.

Abbott acknowledged Corbyn could lose the no confidence vote. Corbyn's supporters say he will stand again for the leadership and will win again because of his strong standing with the party's grass roots.

___

11:20 a.m.

British treasury chief George Osborne says tax rises and spending cuts are inevitable now that the country has voted to leave the Europe Union.

Osborne says his stark predictions about the impact on the public finances "have started to be borne out by events" such as a tumbling pound and spiraling markets. Osborne told the BBC that it is very clear "that the country is going to be poorer."

Osborne stood by predictions that a new austerity budget would need to be implemented, but says that will have to wait until a successor is chosen for Prime Minister David Cameron.

Cameron has announced he will resign in the fall to allow a new leader to take negotiations forward for Britain's exit.

___

11:15 a.m.

The Dutch presidency of the European Union is mounting pressure on Britain to make haste with its withdrawal from the bloc after last week's referendum.

Dutch Defense Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told a special session of the EU parliament that "No one, no one, will benefit from a period of prolonged limbo. The ball is in London's court."

She said that "cool heads must now prevail" to chart the way ahead. Britain has said it might not officially start the talks to withdraw for months. Hennis-Plasschaert acknowledged that the U.K. needs time, given the political chaos in the country. Yet she wants to make the transition as short as possible.

___

11:10 a.m.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan says the capital needs more autonomy to adjust to the new reality of Britain leaving the European Union.

In a speech to business leaders Tuesday, Khan says that more autonomy is needed to protect the economy from the uncertainty ahead. Khan says he isn't "asking for London to get a bigger slice of the British pie," only for Londoners to "get more control over the slice of the pie we already get."

Khan wants the devolution of fiscal responsibility including tax-raising powers, as well as more control over business and skills, housing and planning, transport, health, policing and criminal justice.

Though London has some independence, city leaders do not have the same powers as other global cities, such as New York.

___

11 a.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will use "all her strength" to prevent the European Union from drifting apart in the wake of Britain's decision to leave the trade bloc.

In an address Tuesday to Parliament before she heads to Brussels to meet with other leaders, Merkel said expected that Britain would want to maintain "close relations" with the EU once it leaves, but also signaled that it could not expect a business as usual approach.

"Whoever wants to leave this family cannot expect to have no more obligations but to keep privileges," she said.

Merkel reiterated that there can be no talks with Britain on leaving the EU until Britain starts formal procedure to leave.

__

10:45 a.m.

___

The EU Commission chief says he is banning any informal and secretive negotiations on a British exit until the nation formally notifies it wants to leave the European Union in the wake of last week's referendum vote.

Jean-Claude Juncker told a special session of parliament that "I want the UK to clarify its position, not today, not tomorrow at 9 am, but soon. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty."

Britain has indicated it might not officially notify for several months, perhaps until October, leaving the 27 other nations in political limbo. Yet Juncker refuses to start talks with London before that.

He said there will be no secret meetings between UK, national governments and commissioners in the corridors. "I ban that," Juncker said.

___

10:30 a.m.

The Dutch presidency of the European Union is mounting pressure on Britain to make haste with its withdrawal from the bloc after last week's referendum.

Dutch Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert told a special session of the EU parliament that "No one, no one, will benefit from a period of prolonged limbo. The ball is in London's court," she said.

She said that "cool heads must now prevail" to chart the way ahead. Britain has said it might not officially start the talks to withdraw for months now. Hennis-Plasschaert acknowledged that the UK needs time, given the political chaos in the country. Yet she wants to make the transition as short as possible.

___

10:15 a.m.

Prime Minister David Cameron will be meeting European Union leaders in the first session since the U.K. voted to leave the 28-nation bloc.

Cameron will discuss the implications Tuesday of the Brexit vote as markets gyrated. He has insisted the vote won't send the economy into a tailspin, even as the country was stripped of its top credit rating and stock markets.

Calling the vote a "seminal event" that "will lead to a less predictable, stable and effective policy framework" Standard & Poor's knocked the U.K.'s sovereign rating by two notches on Monday, from AAA to AA. Hours later, Fitch Ratings followed suit.

The impact of the vote is shaking this nation of 64 million. Cameron has announced his resignation and challengers are lining up to replace him

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Photos

Most recent Business stories

Related topics

Business
The Associated Press

    STAY IN THE KNOW

    Get informative articles and interesting stories delivered to your inbox weekly. Subscribe to the KSL.com Trending 5.
    By subscribing, you acknowledge and agree to KSL.com's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

    KSL Weather Forecast