BREXIT- NO COMPROMISE ON FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT- EU LEADERS MAINTAIN HARD LINE STANCE ON BRITAIN'S EUREXIT

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk were uncompromising in their stance after meeting with the 27 EU leaders

European Union leaders have warned that the UK must honour the principle of free movement of people if it wants to retain access to the single market after it leaves the bloc. 

European Council President Donald Tusk said the UK could not pick and choose.

The French and German leaders also made clear that the freedom of movement of EU citizens was non-negotiable.

Immigration to the UK, particularly from poorer EU countries, was a key issue in the referendum campaign.

Some campaigners for Leave sent a clear message that the vote was about controlling immigration levels.

Outgoing UK Prime Minister David Cameron said that the issue of freedom of movement would be for the next PM and government to decide.

"I'm in no doubt that this is the difficult issue," he told MPs in Westminster.

"Frankly, it's a difficult issue inside the EU, where you've got all the negotiating ability to try and change things, and I think it will be in many ways even more difficult from outside."

However EU leaders appear united after Wednesday's meeting that there will be no "nuances", as Mr Juncker put it, for the UK.

Mr Tusk said there would be another meeting of EU leaders, again excluding the UK, on 16 September in Bratislava to discuss the so-called "Brexit".

Mr Juncker said that there would be no discussions whatsoever with representatives of the UK on a possible post-Brexit relationship until the UK has formally notified the EU of its intention to leave by invoking Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty.

There could be "no negotiation without notification", he said.