POST-Brexit vote uncertainty has intensified as the SNP threatened to veto withdrawal, Germany called for calm, and London told Brussels to back off over demands for a speedy exit.
Post-Brexit vote uncertainty has intensified as the SNP threatened to veto withdrawal, Germany called for calm, and London told Brussels to back off over demands for a speedy exit.
Warnings by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon that the Edinburgh parliament could block UK withdrawal by using devolved powers were met with scepticism by constitutional experts, but highlighted the unprecedented nature of the unfolding events.
And German Chancellor Angela Merkel's chief of staff, Peter Altmaier, caused confusion by stating: "The political leadership in London should have the chance to reconsider once again the consequences of a withdrawal."
He later clarified the comments by telling AFP that he was "explicitly" not suggesting a referendum re-run.
In contrast to Germany's foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier demanding a rapid application from London to start exit talks, Mr Altmaier told German radio: "I tend to think that the application will be filed in the coming weeks or months, possibly only by a new government. We should all wait calmly for that".
European parliament president Martin Schulz struck a much more bullish tone, expecting Britain to set out its plans at Tuesday's EU meeting.
"Hesitating simply to accommodate the party tactics of the British Conservatives hurts everyone.
"That is why we expect the British Government to now deliver. The summit on Tuesday is the right time," he said.
The call came as Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond signalled Britain is set to resist pressure from Brussels and other EU capitals for a swift start to negotiations on its withdrawal from the bloc.
Despite a demand from European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker - backed by the foreign ministers of France and Germany - for the process to begin "immediately", Mr Hammond insisted that "nothing is going to happen at the moment".
The timing of the formal notification of intention to leave the EU, set out in Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, is in Britain's hands and talks will not start until a new prime minister is chosen to replace David Cameron, he said.
Mr Hammond told ITV's Peston on Sunday: "Our European Union partners would like us to do it quickly and we're already under some pressure. But the Prime Minister is clear that the correct way to do this is for the new prime minister to make the decision. There is no imperative upon us to serve the notice at any particular time."
Foreign direct investment into the UK has already "all but dried up" as companies wait to see the consequences of the Brexit vote, the foreign secretary said.
His comments came as Washington confirmed US Secretary of State John Kerry will come to London on Monday for talks with Mr Hammond as part of a frantic round of diplomacy as the US grapples with the fallout from Thursday's referendum which will also see him in Brussels.
