Cameron lays groundwork for Brexit

LONDON: Britain could have a new prime minister by early September, the ruling Conservative Party said on Monday, after David Cameron started laying the groundwork for his successor to trigger the country's exit from the European Union.
The government is under pressure to fill a vacuum left when Cameron announced he would resign by October after Britain ignored his advice and voted to leave the 28-member bloc in last week's referendum.
Triggering a leadership battle that could draw in some of his closest advisers, Cameron urged ministers to work together in the meantime. But he also formed a separate unit, staffed by public servants, to help advise Britain on its departure and its options for a future outside the EU.
"Although leaving the EU was not the path I recommended, I am the first to praise our incredible strengths as a country.
"As we proceed with implementing this decision and facing the challenges that it will undoubtedly bring, I believe we should hold fast to a vision of Britain that wants to be respected abroad, tolerant at home, engaged in the world," Cameron told parliament.
Asked about the possibility of a second EU referendum, he said the result of Thursday's vote must be accepted.
Graham Brady, chair of the "1922 Committee" of Conservative MPs, which sets the party's ground rules in parliament, said the group had suggested that the leadership contest should begin next week and conclude no later than Sept 2.
"Both the Conservatives and the country more generally really want certainty. We would like a resolution and we think it would be a good thing to conclude this process as soon as we practicably can," Brady told Sky News.
Work and pensions minister Stephen Crabb is considering a bid to succeed Cameron, Sky News said, citing sources.
The editor of the Spectator magazine tweeted that health secretary Jeremy Hunt was also "highly likely" to launch a leadership bid.
But all eyes are on former London mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent "Leave" campaigner and bookmakers' favourite to succeed Cameron.
But not all party members back him and many are pressing for "Anyone But Boris", seeing his decision to back the Leave campaign as a betrayal of his former ally Cameron, according to media reports.
A YouGov opinion poll on Monday showed interior minister Theresa May scored better than Johnson on who would make the best prime minister, among both the general public and Conservative voters. — Reuters