London: British engine maker Rolls-Royce said Thursday it plunged into a first-half net loss on a vast accounting charge sparked by a post-Brexit collapse in the pound. The group posted a loss after taxation of £1.77 billion ($2.32 billion, 2.11 billion euros) in the six months to the end of June, which contrasted with a net profit of £360 million last year. Rolls-Royce added in a results statement that it took a vast £2.3-billion hit from the value of its US dollar hedgebook after the shock June 23 EU exit referendum, but the group stressed it made an underlying profit. Adjusted pre-tax profit meanwhile stood at £104 million for the reporting period, down almost 80 per cent from a year earlier.