European Union leaders ‘determined to remain united’ after Brexit

David Cameron told the full European Council meeting on Tuesday night that concerns about immigration were the key factor behind the country’s vote for Brexit and pushed for reforms to freedom of movement rules, which are now a condition of single market access.

May said that under her leadership, the United Kingdom wouldn’t formally declare its intention to leave the European Union until next year, meaning a British exit from the 28-nation bloc might not happen until 2019.

Michel said trying to reach an agreement among all 27 countries would create “immobility”, and suggested that a smaller, core group of countries could “move ahead more quickly, without the others preventing them”.

Mr Cameron has ignored pleas from European Union leaders to trigger Article 50 immediately, insisting it will be a decision for his replacement as prime minister to take, which has led to the current stand-off between Britain and Brussels.

Meanwhile in Britain’s parliament, Mr Cameron laid into Labour leader Mr Corbyn, who has been fighting for his political life since the June 23 Brexit vote.

Speaking as European Union leaders gathered without Britain in Brussels, Mr Michel said there is a “perception of technocracy”, but the bloc must now “show that Europe brings a real added value that can be felt by our fellow citizens”.

Some in Brussels are concerned that giving Britain favourable divorce terms will spark a domino effect of others leaving the European Union, with euroscepticism growing in many member states. The 27 remaining presidents, chancellors and prime ministers said they’re “absolutely determined to remain united”, EU Council President Donald Tusk said.

After meeting Mr Cameron on Tuesday EU leaders expressed some understanding for his predicament, but European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker stressed that Britain can not “meditate for months”.

Coming in the opposite direction on Wednesday morning was Nicola Sturgeon, arriving in Brussels to sound out the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, and the president of the European parliament, Martin Schulz, on the possibility of Scotland – which voted overwhelmingly to remain in the EU – joining the bloc as a separate member.

“We have to convince people through what we do”, she said, saying that the existing Lisbon Treaty, less than a decade old, was “a very good basis” for this. Sturgeon has indicated there may be a new referendum on Scottish independence as a result.

She added that this is not a time for “wishful thinking”, but to see things as they are.

London and Brussels will negotiate on how to deal with the vote and the decision to trigger a British exit may only be made by “next cabinet” and “next prime minister”, he said.

He agreed that the vote can not be reversed, despite street protests by thousands of people in London against a so-called “Brexit” on June 28 and moves by the opposition Labour party to force a second referendum on the country’s exit plan. Former London Mayor Boris Johnson and Home Secretary Theresa May are also expected to run.

Media captionDavid Cameron: “Britain. will not, should not, and in my view it won’t, turn its back on Europe”.