Prime Minister David Cameron has chaired a meeting of senior ministers and officials to assess the impact on the UK of Greece’s “no” vote to its austerity package….reports Asian Lite News
Bank of England governor Mark Carney and Chancellor George Osborne were there, BBC reported.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to France on Monday for a meeting with French President Francois Hollande to discuss the Greek debt crisis, said a spokesman of the German government.
According to spokesman Steffen Seibert, Merkel is due to travel to France on Monday afternoon. “A joint assessment of the situation after the Greek referendum” will be one of the issues of her talks with Hollande, Xinhua reported.
The plan for the crisis meeting between the two European leaders was announced just a few minutes after first survey results showing a slight lead of the “No”-vote were reported.
Greek citizens have queued at polling stations on Sunday to cast their ballots in a historic referendum to choose whether or not to accept a debt deal proposal tabled in late June by the country’s lenders.
Number 10 said Greece and the eurozone should “sit down and talk through the implications” of the result. The Greek people rejected the latest proposed international bailout by 61.3% to 38.7%.
European officials warned that it could see the country ejected from the eurozone.
Speaking after the meeting at Downing Street, the Prime Minister’s spokeswoman said the question of whether Greece should leave the eurozone was “a matter for Greece and the eurozone”.
She said a range of issues had been discussed, including the effects on holidaymakers and the consequences for the banking and financial sectors.
Work and Pensions Secretary Iain Duncan Smith and Europe Minister David Lidington also attended the contingency planning meeting.
Mr Duncan Smith said there would “obviously” be consequences for the UK from the Greek fallout but said Mr Osborne would give “full details” in his statement to MPs later.
On the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Mr Osborne said Britain had plans for any outcome.
He added: “I don’t think anyone should be in any doubt – the Greek situation has an impact on the European economy which has an impact on us.
“We cannot be immune from these developments.”
The government has also issued updated travel advice for British tourists, warning that cash withdrawals and credit card services could become limited at short notice.