UK won't play 'lesser' global role after Brexit: David Cameron

WARSAW: Prime Minister David Cameron said Friday that Britain's shock vote to quit the European Union does not mean the country will play a smaller role in world affairs.

"Britain is not going to be playing a lesser role in the world," Cameron said as he arrived for a NATO summit in Warsaw dominated by concerns over Britain's post-EU future.

"We are not turning our back on NATO," he said, and Britain would discuss doing even more with its partners in the US-led alliance to meet changing security challenges.


Britain is a key nuclear-armed NATO ally, wields a permanent veto on the UN Security Council and enjoys a "special relationship" with the United States.

The Brexit vote shocked Britain's allies, with US President Barack Obama having strongly backed the remain camp ahead of last month's referendum, citing the possible impact on Britain's key role in world affairs as a major concern.

Obama insisted earlier Friday that the outcome would not undermine Britain's role in NATO but urged London and Brussels to avoid "protracted, adversarial negotiations" over their divorce.