With the leave campaign acquiring 52 per cent of the vote, David Cameron spoke to the nation in a passionate speech outside 10 Downing Street to declare that he will be resigning as Prime Minister.
He said: “The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path and as such I think the country requires fresh leadership to take it in this direction.
“I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months but I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers our country to its next destination.”
Remain campaigners were confident until the early hours when the results from Newcastle and Sunderland displayed a higher vote for the Brexit campaign.
An unexpected triumph for a Bexit in Swansea, which was anticipated to vote Remain, did little to diminish reservations despite Scotland supporting staying in the Union.
Additional votes in Wales started to show an inclination towards a Leave vote, much to the surprise of many. This inclination was much higher in deprived communities.
Although London and Oxford voted Remain, it did little to dispel concerns that primary forecasts had been incorrect, as the pound began to plummet down by 6% by 1pm.
Leave passed the concluding post just after 6am, and it became more and more clear that nothing could bring the vote back in favour of the Remain campaign.
The Leave campaign were victorious across England and Wales, winning in huge Northern cities including Sheffield, the Welsh valleys, across the Midlands including Birmingham, and the South and East of England.
Overall, the Leave campaign came top in nine of the UK’s nations and regions, with the Remain campaign only on top in just three. The West Midlands had the highest vote for Leave, with Scotland highest for Remain.
The Remain campaign also dominated in London and Northern Ireland. The highest share of the vote reached by the Remain campaign was in Gibraltar.
Seven of the ten regions with the highest share of the vote for Remain were in London, including Lambeth, Hackney and Haringey, all of which voted above 75% to stay in the European Union.
