David Cameron: Britain deserves new leadership after Brexit vote

(Image credit: Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images)

last updated 24 June 2016

Speaking for the first time since Britain voted to leave the European Union, Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday morning he believes new leadership is required for the country to move forward.

Cameron told reporters outside 10 Downing Street he would like to see a new prime minister by the start of the Conservative Party conference in October, and this person will be the one to decide when to trigger Article 50, starting the formal and legal process of leaving the EU. "I do not think it's right for me to try to be the captain that tries to steer our country to its next destination," he said. Cameron, who promoted staying in the EU, also said the will of the British people "must be respected," and he reassured Brits living in European countries and European citizens living in the UK that there will be "no immediate changes" in their circumstances or in traveling.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.