Wednesday

31st May 2023

British PM to resign in October, delays EU talks

  • (Photo: Georgina Coupe/Crown Copyright)

British PM David Cameron has promised to step down in October after losing the referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU.

He told press outside his official residence, No. 10 Downing Street, on Friday (24 June) morning that he would “try to steady the ship” over the next three months, but he added: “I do not think it would be right for me to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination”.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

  • “Those on the losing side, myself included, should help to make it work” (Photo: Mrs. Knook)

He said that he had fought “passionately … head, heart and soul, I held nothing back” to convince British people that they were “better off, safer and stronger in the European Union”.

But he said Britons had chosen a “different path” and that “those on the losing side, myself included, should help to make it work”.

Cameron noted that he had spoken to the British queen on Friday morning and that he planned to hold a cabinet meeting on Monday.

He also said that he would attend the EU summit next week in Brussels “to explain the decision that British people had taken”.

He said his successor in the PM post would be the right person to trigger article 50 of the EU treaty, which governs the never-before-used process of a country leaving the EU.

His decision to delay the negotiations on the terms of Britain's exit prompted leading MEPs on Friday to complain that this would prolong "uncertainty".

But one Tory MEP, Syed Kamall, said "it would not make much difference when you trigger [the exit process], the important thing is to have a deal that works for both sides."

The outgoing PM also tried to reassure British people living in Europe and the financial markets.

“There will be no immediate changes in your [British expats’] circumstances. There will be no initial change in the way our people can travel, in the way our goods can move or the way our services can be sold”, he said.

“Britain’s economy is fundamentally strong”, he added.

Alluding to the chauvinistic rhetoric of some Leave campaigners, he said the UK would keep up spending on overseas aid and would still be a “multi-racial, multi-faith democracy” that would welcome skilled migrants.

He also said it would be an open society “enabling those who love each other to get married whatever their sexuality”.

Standing next to his wife Samantha, he said in a trembling voice: “I love this country and I feel honoured to have served it and I will do everything I can in future to help this great country succeed."

UK votes to leave EU, causes shockwaves

Britons vote to leave the EU by 51.9 percent. Pound is at its lowest since 1985. Scotland and Northern Ireland at odds with England and Wales.

Pound plunges after UK result, but no 'panic'

"We are not in panic mode”, Germany's Commerzbank said. Bank of England chief said "we were well-prepared for this" and that British banks could weather the storm.

Poles and Muslims insulted after Brexit vote

Polish people, Muslims and other minorities in the UK have reported an outbreak of what British police are treating as “hate crimes” following the Brexit vote.

Opinion

How the EU's money for waste went to waste in Lebanon

The EU led support for the waste management crisis in Lebanon, spending around €89m between 2004-2017, with at least €30m spent on 16 solid-waste management facilities. However, it failed to deliver.

Latest News

  1. Germany unsure if Orbán fit to be 'EU president'
  2. EU Parliament chief given report on MEP abuse 30 weeks before sanction
  3. EU clashes over protection of workers exposed to asbestos
  4. EU to blacklist nine Russians over jailing of dissident
  5. Russia-Ukraine relations the Year After the war
  6. Why creating a new legal class of 'climate refugees' is a bad idea
  7. Equatorial Guinea: a 'tough nut' for the EU
  8. New EU ethics body and Moldova conference This WEEK

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us