David Cameron returns to speak in the House of Commons for the first time since the Brexit referendum and after the speech with which he announced his resignation to the United Kingdom.
After the rumors circulated in the early afternoon, the British Prime Minister officially confirms the No to a second popular consultation on Great Britain's exit from the European Union, definitively extinguishing the hopes of those who regret having chosen the "Leave" and of the supporters of “Remain”: «The result of the referendum must be accepted – began Cameron – We have the responsibility to keep the country united».
Despite the good intentions, Cameron announced the difficulties that the United Kingdom will have to face in the near future: "Exiting the European Union will be anything but a walk in the park for the economy", underlined the Premier, who also tried to reassure the millions of EU citizens residing in the country. In fact, the changes will not be immediate at all.
To date, London intends to wait and postpone the process of leaving the EU "in due course": "I spoke to the German chancellor Angela Merkel and the French president Francois Hollande", Cameron said again, "and I told them that for the moment we will not ask for Article 50' to start negotiations with the European Union.
The reference is to article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon which allows a Member State to activate the procedure for leaving the Union. Only after the United Kingdom has notified the European Council of its intention to withdraw from the EU, will the two years of bilateral negotiations to agree an exit agreement be triggered.
Theoretically, Cameron could proceed with the request as early as tomorrow's European Council, 28 June, but the British Prime Minister's words leave no doubt about his intention to postpone the start of the process.
Furthermore, it is very probable that it is not the current Premier who is taking London out of the EU, but his successor who, according to what was established today by the executive committee of the Conservative Party, must be operational by 2 September next. Brexit could therefore be postponed to next autumn.
Finally, the Tory leader stated that "Making Great Britain remain within the single market will be one of the biggest challenges in the negotiations with the European Union".
Cameron's intervention comes a few hours later the statements of George Osborne, the current British Chancellor of the Exchequer, and former Mayor of London Boris Johnson who had announced their intention to "proceed calmly".
