11th July, 2016
An eurozone’s top official says it’s important that Britain’s next prime minister gets on with sorting out the implications of Britain’s decision to leave the European Union as soon as possible, reports Associated Press.
Speaking after it became apparent that Theresa May could replace David Cameron as soon as this week, Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the next British prime minister will have to “find solutions for the Brexit which has been causing a lot of problems particularly for the U.K., but also for Europe.”
He said that the “sooner we can sort out this problematic situation the better.”
Dijsselbloem spoke ahead of a meeting of the eurozone’s 19 finance ministers in Brussels.
Though Britain’s decision to leave the EU isn’t a primary topic of discussion, the finance ministers have a number of thorny issues to address that have been elevated in the wake of the referendum result, such as the financial health of Italian banks.
The head of the committee running the Conservative leadership contest says it and the party board will meet to discuss confirming Theresa May as the winner of the race and Britain’s next prime minister.
May’s only opponent, Andrea Leadsom, has dropped out of the contest, saying she does not have enough support.
Graham Brady, who heads the party’s policymaking 1922 Committee, said he would consult the board on Monday before formally confirming that May is the new leader.
He did not suggest re-opening the contest, saying May is now the only contender.
Asked if May would be declared leader by the end of the day he said “it won’t take nine weeks” — the time the race had been due to last.
Andrea Leadsom, who has withdrawn from the race to be Britain’s prime minister, faced a media frenzy over the weekend after comments about the role of motherhood in politics.
She said Monday that “business needs certainty” in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. The vote has unsettled the markets and sent the value of the pound plunging.
She said Britain needs a government that will “move quickly to set out what an independent United Kingdom’s framework for business looks like.
“We now need a new prime minister in place as soon as possible,” Leadsom said.