There will be no second vote, says David Cameron

Global credit rating agencies have downgraded national credit ratings for Britain as the EU summit is being held to discuss the "divorce process” between the UK and the union. On Tuesday, the first day of an EU summit in Brussels, British Prime Minister David Cameron has met with leaders of the other 27 EU nations and had a tug-of-war on when to begin the Brexit negotiations.

Standard & Poor’s lowered Britain’s ratings by two steps from AAA to AA on Monday. "In our opinion, this outcome is a seminal event, and will lead to a less predictable, stable, and effective policy framework in the UK," S&P said in a statement, adding that it also saw a "constitutional risk" if Scotland decides to break away from the United Kingdom. Fitch, another top global sovereign rating firm, stripped the country’s rating by one notch, from AA+ to AA.

While briefing future plans during his first day speech, David Cameron has asked for cooperation by mentioning the massive confusion taking place within his nation since the referendum. He claimed that the Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty should be left to be invoked by his successor facing his counterparts’ request to quickly decide the timeline for Brexit deals. He hopes to prepare trade safety nets, such as a comprehensive free trade deal, through informal negotiations with the EU before beginning the actual process. However, the EU is strongly against this in fear that it could set a wrong example. Germany, France, and Italy, the three pillars of the union drew a clear line at a press conference in Berlin on Monday, a day before the summit, saying, “There will be no negotiations before the UK submits application for exit.”

Meanwhile, movements calling for a re-vote are gaining support within the UK. More than 3.9 million Britons signed a petition calling for a second referendum, while British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt urged on Monday that the next prime minister not to invoke Article 50 "straight away" and instead to attempt informal negotiations with other leaders and the result should be the basis for a second referendum or election pledge.

Meanwhile, David Cameron explicitly ruled out a second referendum on Britain’s EU membership in his speech at the House of Commons.

파리=전승훈특파원 raphy@donga.com