France's Hollande tells May talks on future EU-UK relations must wait

French President Francois Hollande told Theresa May on Thursday that Brexit negotiations must first deal with how Britain will leave the bloc before talks could be held on Britain's future relations with the EU, his office said.

The outgoing French president told May in a telephone call that the negotiations must be held in a "clear and constructive manner, so as to lift uncertainties and to fully respect the rules and interests of the 27-member European Union."

"The President indicated that the talks must at first be about the terms of withdrawal, dealing especially with citizens' rights and obligations resulting from the commitments made by the United Kingdom," a statement from Hollande's Elysee office said.

"On the basis of the progress made, we could open discussions on the framework of future relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union," it said.

Brussels hopes to reap further Brexit rewards after luring Lloyd's

Brussels expects to lure other financial players after convincing Lloyd's of London, the world's largest speciality insurance market, to make the city its post-Brexit European hub.

While Lloyd's choice on Thursday surprised some, lower rental prices and its proximity to Britain could help other financial firms choose the multilingual home of the European Union over Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris and Luxembourg.

Lloyd's is expected to move fewer than 100 people, but other insurers needing an EU subsidiary to keep access to the single market after Britain leaves the bloc may follow. Lloyd's has long been a magnet for insurance underwriters, most of which are clustered around its landmark building in the City of London.

"From our contacts with consultancy firms we have learned that several companies are interested in Belgium," a spokeswoman for Belgium's financial sector federation Febelfin said, without specifying which companies or sectors had expressed an interest.