Juncker calls for immediate clarity on UK's Brexit position

Britain must “clarify its position” on the terms of its departure from the European Union as soon as possible, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Tuesday.

In a speech to the European Parliament, Juncker said a prompt statement of the type of deal Britain wanted was necessary to end uncertainty.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, who resigned on Friday after Britain voted 52% - 48% to leave the EU, was in Brussels on Tuesday for a meeting with other leaders of the bloc's member states to discuss the political ramifications of the decision.

"We need to clarify the situation as quickly as possible. But I'm still sad because I'm not a robot, a grey bureaucrat or technocrat," Juncker said.

"I'm a European and I have a right to say I regret the result of the British vote," he said during a special sitting of the parliament to discuss the political consequences of the British decision.

Juncker reasserted the EU's position, supported by France and Germany, that there would be no informal talks with the UK before it invoked Article 50 of the 2007 Treaty of Lisbon that starts formally the exit process.

"I want the UK to clarify its position. Not today, not tomorrow at 9am, but soon. We cannot allow ourselves to remain in a prolonged period of uncertainty. There can be no secret negotiations. No notification, no negotiation," he said.

Cameron delayed Article 50 to give the Conservative Party time to elect a new leader. It also means his successor would have to fire the starting gun on Britain's exit.

There has been a deafening silence from Cameron's heir apparent Boris Johnson and his ally Michael Gove about what a post-Brexit Britain would look like, largely because the Leave campaign failed to draw up a plan. Instead, there have been accusations from some within the camp that contingencies should have been drawn up by the government.

Holger Schmieding of broker Berenberg said the UK's delay in starting "divorce negotiations" due to "political confusion" was "further weakening its economy and its bargaining position".

"Unsurprisingly, the victorious Brexiteers have not come up with a coherent idea of what comes next. Instead, and also as expected, they may soon have to explain to the UK public that the promises on which they won the vote, including those of saving money and avoiding any economic damage, could be impossible to keep," he said in a note.

"The UK debate often overlooks that the Brexit vote and the refusal of the UK to start the divorce proceedings soon are eliciting a counter-reaction in some EU-27 members. Contemplating additional concessions to a UK that is seen more and more as somewhat unpredictable and unreliable would not come easy for many EU-27 members."