Sky News: David Cameron has told EU leaders he lost the Brexit referendum because so many voters believed there was no control over immigration from Europe.
Speaking to leaders at an EU dinner in Brussels, the outgoing PM warned leaders they could not “shy away” from the issue.
Failure to tackle immigration could scupper any chance of a UK-EU trade deal when a new prime minister takes over in September.
Mr Cameron was speaking after Germany’s Angela Merkel warned the UK must accept free movement if it wants to retain single market access.
She assured her parliament she would not allow the UK to “cherry-pick” favoured elements of the EU package.
“If you wish to have free access to the single market then you have to accept the fundamental European rights as well as obligations that come from it,” she said.
“This is as true for Great Britain as for anybody else.”
She made clear that she saw no chance that Britain might go back on its decision to leave the EU.
A UK Government source said: “Mr Cameron believes that one of the key issues in the referendum campaign, and therefore why a lot of people voted to leave, is this sense that there was no control on the scale of immigration and freedom of movement.
“That was one of the factors.”
Addressing journalists after the dinner, Mr Cameron said he did not regret holding the referendum.
“I don’t regret holding the referendum – I think it was the right thing to do,” he said.
“I regret losing the referendum, of course. I’m a democrat and the British people have decided Britain should go.
“At the end of the day, we cannot leave to parliament questions about the nature of the way we are governed.”
Earlier, arriving at the summit, Mr Cameron said: “While we are leaving the European Union, we mustn’t be turning our backs on Europe.
“These countries are our neighbours, our friends, our allies, our partners.
“And I very much hope we will seek the closest possible relationship in terms of trade and co-operation and security, because that is good for us and it’s good for them.”
Ahead of the meeting, several EU leaders repeated calls for talks on withdrawal to start immediately.
But there were also signs that some are beginning to accept that the process must await the selection of a new PM.
France’s Francois Hollande said the EU had “no time to lose” in planning its future without Britain.
But Dutch PM Mark Rutte, who faces calls for a “Nexit” vote in the Netherlands, said: “It would be unwise to force a rapid departure.
“It would be prudent to give Britain time.”
Mr Cameron was served quail and veal at the EU dinner, the last he will attend as Prime Minister.
Working dinners are a regular feature of European Council summits, often lasting into the early hours as the leaders wrangle over the latest crisis.
Here is what the leaders had to chew over:
:: Quail and green bean salad with a crispy dried fruit pastry triangle;
:: Poached veal tenderloin with seasonal baby vegetables;
:: Strawberries.
