THE German economy minister has called for the number of European Union commissioners to be reduced and for Brussels to reconsider how it allocates its budget, following the UK’s vote for a Brexit.

Sigmar Gabriel said that “a Europe in which 27 commissioners want to prove themselves doesn’t make sense,” now that one of the most-senior members of the EU is to pull out.

Gabriel, who is also Germany’s vice-chancellor, was delivering a speech about the implications of Brexit. He said it did not endanger the EU, and even raised the possibility of Britain re-joining in a few decades.

In a speech to the Social Democratic (SPD) party in Berlin, he said: “I’m sure that historically this is an episode rather than an epoch.”