UK EU exit must be 'swift' - Hollande

Britain’s exit negotiations following the EU referendum result must be 'swift' President Francois Hollande has said - the exact opposite of Vote Leave's insistence there should be no dash to the negotiating table.Ély

Speaking at the Elysée Palace following an emergency ministerial meeting, Mr Hollande echoed the opinion of other European leaders about about the timescale for a British exit and said the vote 'poses a grave test for Europe'.

Britain's exit cannot mean 'business as usual' for the rest of the bloc, he said, adding the first departure of a member state 'deeply challenges' the continent.

Mr Hollande described the result as 'a painful choice that he already regrets', but insisted that France would continue to work with her 'great ally' the UK.

"It always takes less time to undo than to do, to destroy than to build," he said. "The choice is theirs (Britons), and we must respect it."

And he warned that the EU, 'must show solidity and strength in its response to the economic and financial risks' following the vote.

On Wednesday, before Britain went to the polls, Mr Hollande had warned that a Leave vote would have 'extremely serious consequences' and would be 'irreversible'.

"More than the future of the United Kingdom is at stake, it's the future of the European Union," he said.