Britain, Europe scramble to contain Brexit turmoil
British leaders battled to calm markets and the country yesterday after its shock vote to leave the EU, while insisting London would be not rushed into a quick divorce.
Finance minister George Osborne said Britain's economy was "as strong as could be" to deal with the fallout of Thursday's momentous Brexit vote, which has already sent financial markets into tailspin.
Britain's historic decision to be the first country to leave the 28-nation bloc has sent shockwaves through the political and economic fabric of the nation and claimed the scalp of Prime Minister David Cameron.
It has also fuelled fears of a break-up of the United Kingdom with Scotland eyeing a new independence poll, and created turmoil in the opposition Labour party where leader Jeremy Corbyn is battling an all-out revolt, reports AFP.
In his first public comments since the vote, Osborne said: "I want to reassure the British people, and the global community, that Britain is ready to confront what the future holds for us from a position of strength."
But despite his soothing words, shares in banks, airlines and property companies plunged on the London stock exchange as investors singled out those three sectors as being the most vulnerable to the Brexit vote.
Meanwhile, the British government yesterday agreed to establish a new civil service unit that will have the complex task of negotiating the country's departure from the European Union, outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron's spokeswoman said.
"The prime minister proposed and the cabinet supported the establishment of a new unit to lead intensive civil service work on the issues that will need to be worked through in order to present options and advice to the new prime minister," she said.
Poland would like to see Britain hold a second in-out referendum on EU membership, the leader of the country's ruling party said yesterday, warning however the bloc would have to "radically change" for Britons to want to return.
"Our idea for today... foresees efforts aimed at making Britain return, including a second referendum," Poland's powerful rightwing leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski said.
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