Britain has formally told the EU that it is giving up its presidency of the European Council next year, Downing Street has announced. The UK six month presidency was due in the second half of the year, immediately after Malta's.

Prime Minister Theresa May informed council president Donald Tusk in a phone call yesterday.

The presidency rotates between the 28 EU member states on a six-monthly basis, giving each the opportunity to shape the agenda.

Mrs May has decided that Britain should skip its turn in the light of last month's referendum vote for Brexit.

A Downing Street spokesman said that Mrs May told Mr Tusk that giving up the presidency was "the right thing to do given we will be very busy with negotiations to leave the EU".

The PM felt it was right to give other EU nations time to make arrangements for a different country to be appointed to hold the presidency during that period.

Number 10 said that Mr Tusk welcomed the fact that Mrs May had come to a swift decision on the issue.

The call was Mrs May's first conversation with the European Council president since becoming PM.

Malta had expressed a reluctance in having its term extended for a year. Times of Malta reported yesterday that Belgium, which already hosts the EU institutions in Brussels, may be tasked to fill the unprecedented ‘hole’ in the presidency’s rotation system.

EU Council sources in Brussels said that Belgium has offered to step in to take over the six-month presidency which is supposed to be covered by the UK.

The news was also confirmed by Belgium’s Foreign Minster, Didier Reynders, who said his country had made the offer and that both the President of the Council,

Donald Tusk, and the President of the Commission, Jean Claude Junker, were looking favourably at the proposal.