Britain votes to leave EU in historic divorce; Nigel Farage calls for 'Brexit government' in UK
In a historic development, the UK has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as the 'Brexit' camp
Britain has voted to leave the European Union, results from Thursday's referendum showed, a stunning repudiation of the nation's elites that deals the biggest blow to the European project of greater unity since World War Two.
World financial markets plunged as complete results showed a near 52-48 percent split for leaving. The vote created the biggest global financial shock since the 2008 economic crisis, this time with interest rates around the world already at or near zero, stripping policymakers of the means to fight it.
The pound suffered its biggest one-day fall in history, plunging more than 10 percent against the dollar to hit levels last seen in 1985. The chief ratings officer for Standard & Poor's told the Financial Times Britain's AAA credit rating was no longer tenable.
The vote will initiate at least two years of messy divorce proceedings with the EU, raise questions over London's role as a global financial capital and put huge pressure on Prime Minister David Cameron to resign, though he pledged during the campaign to stay on whatever the result.
Far-right UK Independence Party (UKIP) leader Nigel Farage declared victory much earlier, saying: "Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom June 23 will be our Independence Day."
"I now dare to dream that the dawn is coming up on an independent United Kingdom," Nigel Farage, leader of the anti-EU UK Independence Party said. He called on Prime Minister David Cameron to resign immediately in the event of a Leave vote.
Cameron had urged Britons to vote Remain, warning that the alternative was a leap in the dark that would hurt trade and investment, bring about a self-inflicted recession, undermine the pound and push up shopping bills and the cost of holidays.
(With PTI and Reuters inputs)
Live Blog
In a historic development, the UK has voted to leave the European Union after 43 years as the 'Brexit' camp
Obama says he respects Britain's decision to leave EU
US President Barack Obama said on Friday he respected Britain's vote to leave the European Union, and that the United States' relationship with Britain would endure.
"The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision," Obama said in a statement. "The United Kingdom and the European Union will remain indispensable partners of the United States even as they begin negotiating their ongoing relationship."
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson says, EU has become too remote, too opaque and not accountable enough to the people it is meant to serve.
UK PM Cameron says will step down by October after Brexit vote
David Cameron said he would resign as Prime Minister by October after Britons ignored his pleas to stay in the European Union and voted in a referendum to leave.
"I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination," Cameron told reporters on Friday outside his Downing Street office.
"This is not a decision I've taken lightly but I do believe it is in the national interest to have a period of stability and then the new leadership required," he said.
(Britains Prime Minister David Cameron speaks after Britain voted to leave the European Union, as his wife Samantha watches outside Number 10 Downing Street in London, - Reuters)
David Cameron to stay on as PM
Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said Conservative party leader David Cameron would continue as Prime Minister despite losing his campaign to keep Britain in the European Union.
"The Prime Minister's ... been clear that whatever the outcome of this referendum he will continue as Prime Minister," Hammond told Sky News on Friday.
Anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage says EU is dying; calls for 'Brexit government' in UK after vote
Final result: UK votes to leave EU by 51.9%
Cameron should stay to implement Brexit decision - Vote Leave chief
There is little appetite among the majority of Conservative lawmakers to depose Prime Minister David Cameron who should now prepare to negotiate Britain's exit from the European Union, Vote Leave chief Matthew Elliott told Reuters.
"I can detect little appetite among Conservative MPs for the prime minister to go: the vast majority want him to be the one who stays in place and implements this decision," Elliott, who is not a lawmaker, said of Britain's vote to leave the EU.
"There is no need to implement Article 50 straight away - in fact it would be foolish to do so. The best thing is to take stock of this, for the PM to talk with cabinet colleagues, with parliament and other member states."
No member state has ever left and Article 50 of the EU treaty, which sets out how a state can exit the bloc, offers little detail.
(Reuters)
India focusing on market dislocations from Brexit, Jayant Sinha says
India is focusing on the market dislocations arising from a likely British referendum vote to leave the European Union, junior finance minister Jayant Sinha said on Friday, saying it was too early to assess the trade impact.
"There's going to be market dislocation and we are going to have to focus on that," Sinha told news channel ET Now in the first official comment on the UK plebiscite.
#Government, RBI ready with measures to curb volatility: Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa on Brexit.
#Don't think Brexit will impact India in medium or long term: Banking Secretary Anjuly Duggal.
Govt, RBI ready with measures to curb volatility: Finance Secretary Ashok Lavasa on Brexit.
Britain votes for Brexit, declares BBC
The camp in favour of Britain's exit from the European Union (EU) was leading by four percentage points over the Remain camp with over 70 per cent of results declared in the referendum today as a BBC forecast said the results were for 'Brexit'.
The "too-close-to-call and knife-edge" prediction of the opinion polls seemed to hold true as Leave grabbed 52 per cent of the vote to Remain's 48 per cent with over 70 per cent of the results in.
The BBC said that the trends indicated that the Remain side could not regain from this position and the 52-48 per cent count in favour of Brexit is likely to be the final verdict of the British voters.
Brexit Vote
London's Tower Hamlets votes 67.5% to remain, says Press Association.
# Sky news election analyst predicts leave will win referendum with 53%.
# JP Morgan says appears likely that the vote will be for leave in EU referendum.
Farage says
# June 23 will go down in our history as our independence day.
# We will have won for the whole of Europe, hopes victory brings down this failed project.
# We will have won without a single bullet being fired.
# We have fought against multinationals and big banks - i think now we're to win.
Manchester votes less strongly than expected for remain: PA
The city of Manchester in northern England voted less strongly than expected to remain in the European Union.
The Press Association reported 60% of voters in Manchester, one of the largest voting areas by population and predicted to be one of the top 15 safest for remain, backed staying in the EU.
Analysis by JP Morgan ahead of the vote had predicted support of 70% for remain in Manchester.
Pollster John Curtice says balance of advantage in the results so far does appear to be with the leave side.
CAMBRIDGE: Remain wins 74% votes
Glasgow votes Remain by two to one; Aberdeen City and the Scottish Borders both vote to Remain
EURO/DOLLAR falls more than 2.5%, hits lowest level in more than 3 months
EDINBURGH: Remains wins 187,796 votes, leave wins 64,498 votes
Sterling reversed sharp early gains while the safe-haven yen staged a rebound as confidence that Britain will remain in the European Union was badly shaken after early vote counts put the 'Leave' campaign in the lead.
Neath Port Talbot votes to leave
Neath Port Talbot in south Wales, which had been predicted to be one of the 15 closest results in Britain's European Union membership referendum, voted strongly to leave the bloc.
The Press Association reported 57% of voters in Neath Port Talbot backed leaving the EU. That compared to a prediction of 50.5% for remain and 49.5% for leave in analysis published by J.P. Morgan ahead of the vote.
UK may have voted Remain but EU is still doomed - UKIP's Farage
Britain may have voted to remain in the European Union at a membership referendum on Thursday but the bloc is doomed regardless, the head of the anti-EU UK Independence Party said on Thursday.
Nigel Farage said he thought Britain had voted to remain in the EU, possibly because of an extension of a deadline for people to register to vote.
"The eurosceptic genie is out of the bottle, and it will now not be put back," he told supporters, in comments carried on local television.
"If we do stay part of this union it is doomed, it is finished anyway. If we fail tonight it will not be us that knocks out the first brick from the wall, it will be someone else."
"I hope and pray that my sense of this tonight is wrong," Farage said.
Nuneaton in central England, considered a bellwether seat in parliamentary elections, strongly voted to leave the European Union at Thursday's membership referendum.
Two-thirds of voters in the counting area of Nuneaton and Bedworth backed leaving the bloc, according to official figures.
LIVERPOOL: Remains wins 118,453 votes, leave wins 85,101 votes
The city of Liverpoool in northwest England voted less strongly than expected to remain in the European Union at Thursday's membership referendum. Official figures showed 58% of voters in Liverpool, one of the largest 15 voting areas by population, backed Remain. That was below a prediction of 65.6 percent in analysis published by J.P. Morgan.
ISLINGTON: Remains wins 76,420 votes, leave wins 25,180 votes
Reuters Calculation: Remain ON 51.3%, Leave on 48.7% after 75 OF 382 Counting areas.
Wigan: Remains wins 58,942 votes, leave wins 104,331 votes