EU leaders ease pressure on Britain to invoke Article 50 because Brexit has triggered 'significant crisis'

Brussels officials are easing the pressure on Britain
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Brussels eased the pressure on Britain last night to trigger Article 50 and start formal negotiations to leave the European Union, but a sense of panic remained as EU leaders held further crisis talks to try and forge a path forward after the historic blow.

An EU official said the 27 other member states would not expect a formal notification from David Cameron at a summit here tomorrow and Wednesday, a change in position from a few days earlier when many leaders were demanding an immediate start to the exit process.

“We do not expect at that stage to trigger Article 50,” the official said. “Everyone understands that right now there is quite a significant crisis in the UK.”

But he added that there was to be no ambiguity over the eventual result, amid questions in Britain about a scenario whereby the referendum is repeated or ignored: “There is only one assumption on [which] we are working which is that the UK is on the way to leaving.”

And he made clear that no negotiations on Britain’s future relationship with the EU or potential trade deals could begin until the UK invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which gives a two-year time frame for a country to leave the union.

There are two camps emerging at the top level of the EU over how to deal with the first nation to decide to leave the union. Leaders in the European Parliament want exit negotiations to start as soon as possible to calm uncertainty. However, another camp led by Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel are arguing for Britain to be given more time so that the best deal for both Britain and the EU can be hammered out.

Ms Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Italy’s leader Matteo Renzi and European Council President Donald Tusk will meet later today to try and forge a united stance on Brexit, with Mr Hollande insisting that they were on the same page.

“Separated, we run the risk of divisions, dissension and quarrels,” he said on Sunday.

Also later today, US Secretary of State John Kerry will arrive in Brussels for talks, before heading to the UK. His visit underlines how the concerned the rest of the world is with the chaotic situation in Europe, and he is expected to express concern about anti-EU sentiment elsewhere in the bloc, where other populist parties have promised their own referenda.

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