European powers demanded a quick divorce Saturday as Britain''s seismic vote to abandon the EU sparked bitter break-up rows at home and abroad. Britons had cast aside warnings of isolation and economic disaster to vote 52 percent-48 percent in favour of quitting the European Union in the June 23 referendum. The historic vote, fought on the battlefronts of the economy and immigration, toppled Prime Minister David Cameron, pounded sterling and led Moody''s to downgrade Britain''s credit rating outlook to "negative".
It exposed deep divisions in Britain too, where more than 1.7 million people called for a new vote, young people railed against the anti-EU older generation and Scotland revived independence calls. Spurned European powers meanwhile showed exasperation at Cameron''s decision to stay on until as late as October before letting a successor take the helm and launch EU exit negotiations. The six original EU members - Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg - held an emergency meeting in Berlin to grapple with the first defection of the bloc''s 60-year history.
"We join together in saying that this process must begin as soon as possible so we don''t end up in an extended limbo period," said German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault went further, directly urging Cameron to go quickly. "A new prime minister must be designated, that will take a few days but there is a certain urgency," he told AFP. A new prime minister would be chosen by the ruling Conservative Party in a process that can last weeks or months.
Earlier, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker warned London against foot-dragging. "It is not an amicable divorce but it was also not an intimate love affair," he said.
The British vote has stoked fears of a domino-effect of exit votes in eurosceptic member states that could imperil the integrity of the bloc. In an early sign of the Brexit fallout in Brussels, Britain''s European commissioner for financial services, Jonathan Hill, said he would stand down. "I don''t believe it is right that I should carry on as the British commissioner as though nothing had happened," he said.
At home, more than 1.7 million Britons regretting the referendum result signed up to a rapidly-growing petition on an official government website pleading for a new vote. The unprecedented rush overwhelmed the site, forcing it to be suspended at one point, a spokesman said. It surpassed by 17 times the 100,000 signatures required for a proposal to be discussed in the lower house of parliament.
A committee, which can put forward petitions for debate by lawmakers, will consider the proposal Tuesday. "I am worried, really sick for my children''s prospects," said Lindsey Brett, a 57-year-old secretarial worker. Scotland stood aghast at the prospect of being dragged out of the 28-nation European Union when more than 60 percent of its people voted to stay in.
Scotland is seeking "immediate discussions" with its EU partners to try to protect its position in the bloc, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon declared after an emergency meeting of Scotland''s cabinet. "A second independence referendum is clearly an option that requires to be on the table," she added. The cabinet agreed to start to draw up legislation that could enable such a vote once a decision is taken.
Scots backed staying in Britain in their last referendum in 2014. It is unclear how the EU referendum may have changed that position. The often poisonous referendum campaign revealed a split between what The Independent newspaper called "those doing well from globalisation and those ''left behind'' and not seeing the benefits in jobs or wages". Young people, graduates, and big cities tended to favour "Remain". Elder, less educated people and rural populations were more likely to back "Brexit".
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