German FM: up to Britain to secure orderly EU exit

Germany's foreign minister says Britain must act to secure an orderly departure from the European Union, and the bloc won't make any deals to Europe's detriment.

Britain's new foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said earlier this week that the U.K. could crash out without an agreement next year because of the hard line taken by EU negotiators.

But German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told the Funke newspaper group in comments published Wednesday that "for the withdrawal to be as controlled as possible, the British government will have to move." He cited the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland and the integrity of the EU's internal market.

He added: "It is not five minutes to midnight, it is two minutes to midnight. But we will not let ourselves be put under pressure."