Envoys from other European Union countries have agreed Britain will not be able to hold Brexit negotiations until Article 50 is triggered, a French source says, a day after the so-called "sherpas" met in Brussels.
The source said on Monday the sherpas were in agreement that Britain should set out a clear timetable for what happens next, after its voters decided on Thursday to leave the European Union, in a referendum result which sent global markets into a tailspin.
"There will be no pre-negotiations with the British," the French source said.
Article 50 is the part of the EU's Lisbon treaty governing the procedure for an exit, and it is up to the departing country to trigger it.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said over the weekend there was no need to rush Britain into a quick divorce from the EU.
But several European leaders have urged London not to delay triggering Article 50, fearful of a prolonged period of political and economic instability.
Brexit campaigners have long been suspicious of the two-year timetable for departure set by Article 50.
Some have said Article 50 should be formally invoked only after agreement on a comprehensive free trade deal that exempts Britain from EU rules such as open EU immigration.
The meeting of 27 envoys on Sunday was the first such gathering since the Brexit referendum, and a senior official said London's envoy was not invited.
Share
