Readying for Brexit, Britain may see new PM by early September

JOCKEYING FOR POSITION

All eyes are on former London mayor Boris Johnson, the most prominent of the "Leave" campaigners and now bookmakers' favourite to succeed Cameron.

But not all party members back him and many are pressing for "Anyone But Boris", seeing his decision to back the Leave campaign as a betrayal of his former ally Cameron, according to media reports.

Cameron's spokesman said the prime minister would not endorse any candidate to succeed him.

Instead, Cameron urged unity both in government and in the country and had announced he had set up an advisory unit to help manage Britain's departure from the European Union and to make sure his successor has all the possible information necessary to decide the country's future.

"Clearly this will be the most complex and most important task that the British civil service has undertaken in decades. So the new unit will sit at the heart of government and be led by and staffed by the best and brightest from across our civil service," Cameron said.

For now, the priority was working together on government business, which some critics say has been all but put on hold since campaigning for the referendum began in February, and reassuring the many migrants who fear their status may change.

Cameron told parliament he would not put up with intolerance, after reports that migrants, particularly those from Poland, had been told by some Britons to "go home" since the country voted to leave the EU.

"Let's remember these people have come here and made a wonderful contribution to our country. And we will not stand for hate crime or these kinds of attacks," he said. "They must be stamped out."