Emmanuel Macron warned Europeans that Brexit was an “alarm signal” of huge historic significance as the EU flag was hauled from the flagpole outside the UK government’s main office in Brussels, marking the end of Britain’s membership of the bloc.
Speaking in Paris, the French president referenced the defining nature of the British decision to turn its back on 47 years of membership. “There is a long history between France and Britain, one made of blood, freedom, courage and battles, I will not forget that,” he said.
Macron said Brexit was a shock and a “historical alarm signal” that needed to be heard across Europe. He reiterated his claim that the 2016 leave campaign was based on “lies, exaggerations and cheques that were promised but will never come”.
In The Hague, when asked whether he had called Boris Johnson to offer his congratulations, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, responded by telling reporters there were no grounds for congratulations.
The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, described it as a “bittersweet” moment after more than three years of uncertainty for Ireland about the border with Northern Ireland.
At dusk, without fanfare and with the siren of a passing police car screaming in the background, a British official reached out from a top window of the UK’s permanent representation in the Belgian capital in a moment that was low on drama but high in symbolism.
Earlier in the day, Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, wished Britons well, but vowed to fight for the EU’s interests in the coming negotiations over the future relationship.
“We want to have the best possible relationship with the United Kingdom, but it will never be as good as membership,” she said. “Our experience has taught us that strength does not lie in splendid isolation, but in our unique union.
“It is clear Europe will defend its interests in a determined manner. Only those who acknowledge rules of internal market can benefit from the common market.”
The former German defence minister, who studied in London, said she was determined to ensure the EU became a stronger union without the UK.
“As the sun rises tomorrow, a new chapter for our union of 27 begins. Tomorrow is not the end but a beginning,” she said. “Tomorrow, almost half a century of the UK’s membership of the EU is over. When the UK joined I was still at school, we were six member states; tomorrow we will be 27 member states.
“All these years, 47-plus years, our union has gained political impetus and become a global powerhouse,” she added.
Charles Michel, the former Belgian prime minister who is now president of the European council, told reporters the EU wanted to have the closest ties possible with the UK, but added: “We have to be very clear, if the UK decides to diverge from EU standards it will have less access to the single market.”
David Sassoli, the president of the European parliament, said Brexit marked “a wound” and it was a chance to take stock of Britain’s decision.
Sassoli, an Italian MEP from the socialist group in the parliament, claimed the EU was a bulwark against the unfettered use of strength on the global stage. “Ask yourselves this: why does everyone want to divide us today? Because when there are common rules, we live better and defend those who are weaker. Where there are no rules, only the strongest prevail.”
Earlier in the day, Brexit party MEPs staged a procession from the steps of the European parliament into the adjacent square, before preparing to catch a mid-morning Eurostar train to London.
Led by a bagpiper in Highland dress, the cheering MEPs trooped across the large open space in front of the parliament carrying a union flag. The Brexit party MEP and former Conservative minister Ann Widdecombe led the group, as Nigel Farage had already left Brussels.
“We are taking our flag home,” shouted the MEP Nathan Gill as he helped Widdecombe into a taxi that briefly stopped the traffic to make a slow exit from Place du Luxembourg, the flag flying out of its window.
“Everyone is trying not to be triumphalist, that is part of the deal,” said the Brexit party’s Claire Fox. “You want to be able to celebrate but, by the way, most of my friends voted remain and they accepted the vote many years ago.”
She said she felt relief “because a year ago I thought Brexit was finished”, adding: “We have restored faith in the ballot box for British people and I am really delighted on their behalf that they haven’t been bullied into going against what they voted for in the first place.”
On Thursday, the Bank of England downgraded its view of the underlying prospects for the UK economy to the lowest level since the second world war.
Speaking in Paris, Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, said things “would never be the same as before” between the EU and Britain, because “the British don’t want them to be”. He said the EU would be guided in the future talks by the principle that “we will not compromise to the detriment of the single market”.
The EU “respects the UK’s choice”, he said. “But they must decide what they want. They want to diverge from the EU rulebook – the question is, will it be a reasonable divergence, or will it lead to a situation of social dumping, of unfair competition? … So the more they diverge, the less access to the single market they will have.”
Barnier said the risk of a new cliff-edge if no trade deal is reached was real, but “the British have set the timetable. If Boris Johnson chooses not to extend the transition period, it will be he who has imposed a time constraint on the talks.”
Additional reporting by Jon Henley in Paris