UK Foreign Ministry hopes to keep access to the single European market after it leaves the European Union

UK Foreign Ministry hopes to keep access to the single European market after it leaves the European Union, UK Foreign Secretary Phillip Hammond said Sunday.

"Essential we protect our access to Single Market" Hammond told ITV channel.

UK Foreign Secretary also stressed that London does not want to rush in notifying the European Union of its exit from the bloc.

While the UK comes to terms with Brexit, a sizable number of people are trying to prevent just that. A petition to hold a second EU referendum has captured the imagination of the public and three million people have already signed it.    

The UK government will continue working in a current composition, until Prime Minister David Cameron resigns, according to Phillip Hammond.

Hammond also told the ITV broadcaster that he was not going to be a candidate in the "forthcoming [Conservative party] leadership competition" and was not seeking to lead the country.

On Thursday, a nationwide referendum was held in Britain in which 51.9 percent of the voters said they were in favor of Brexit (UK leaving the EU). The United Kingdom still needs to formally notify the European Union of its intention to leave the bloc. After that, it has two years to negotiate the terms of its divorce.