Theresa May will travel to Berlin and Paris to meet leaders

Theresa May is to hold her first face-to-face meetings with European leaders as UK prime minister when she travels to Berlin and Paris this week.

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union is certain to be high on the agenda for Ms May’s talks with German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande on her first overseas trip as prime minister.

It is usual for incoming premiers to make early visits to establish personal links with key European leaders, but this week’s trip will be highly charged by the outcome of the June 23 referendum and the need to shape a new relationship between the UK and its neighbours on the continent.