Breaking News: UK votes to leave EU

Brexit supporters jubilate in Sunderland

With all the votes yet to be counted in the historic referendum in the United Kingdom over its membership of the European Union, the BBC has projected victory for campaigners who voted to dump the union.

According to the BBC, the UK has voted by 52% to 48% to leave the European Union after 43 years.

London, Northern Ireland and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England.

Voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers.

With 24 results yet to be declared in England, the Remain supporters were trailing Brexit campaigners with 12, 015, 810 votes to 13, 769, 171.

Wales also voted to leave EU,with 854, 752 votes. The Stay camp scored 772, 347 votes. In Scotland, the Stay camp scored their highest victory, 1.6million votes, to 1.01 votes for Brexit. In Northern Ireland, Leave campaigners scored 349,000 votes, while remain had 440, 000 votes.

Nigel Farage: Decision Day of Independence

The pound fell to its lowest level against the dollar since 1985 as the markets reacted to the results.

Referendum turnout was higher than at last year’s general election.

Labour’s Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the Bank of England may have to intervene to shore up the pound, which lost 3% within moments of the first result showing a strong result for Leave in Sunderland and fell as much as 6.5% against the euro.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage – who has campaigned for the past 20 years for Britain to leave the EU – told supporters “this will be a victory for ordinary people, for decent people”.

Mr Farage – who predicted a Remain win at the start of the night after polls suggested that would happen – said Thursday, 23 June would “go down in history as our independence day”.

He called on Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the referendum but campaigned passionately for a Remain vote, to quit “immediately”.

*From reports by BBC