EU's founding members demand UK begins to leave EU urgently

The EU's founding members have demanded the UK urgently invoke Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty to start the process of leaving the union.

Foreign ministers from the six original members attended a hastily arranged meeting in Berlin.

British Prime Minister David Cameron says he will leave it to his successor to start the two-year negotiation process.

Lawyer Mark Compton, who specialises in EU and UK law, said there is no reason to alter that arrangement.

“There is nothing in Article 50, which is very very short in length, which says when you have to invoke it.

“And there is no mechanism for forcing someone to invoke it.”