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EU referendum live – Boris Johnson prepares to speak after Cameron resigns Brexit live – Nicola Sturgeon says second Scottish referendum 'highly likely'
(35 minutes later)
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Now it’s Angela Merkel turn to react. “There is no way around it. This is a blow to Europe,” she says.
She adds: What happens in the next days, months, years - will depend on what we, the remaining 27 EU nations are able and willing to do.
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Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president has said: “The British people have expressed their wish to leave. We regret this decision but respect it.”
.@JunckerEU "The British people have expressed their wish to leave. We regret this decision but respect it" #EURef pic.twitter.com/zAMN7LCKQw
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Sturgeon says a second independence referendum is “highly likely”. She wants to explore all options to stay in the EU.
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Sturgeon says the option of a second Scottish independence referendum is on the table. There are many people who voted against independence who are reassessing their decision in the light of vote to leave the EU, Sturgeon says.
She adds: “My priority will be to act in the best interest of Scotland. I’m proud of Scotland and how we voted yesterday. We said clearly we don’t want to leave the European Union.”
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Sturgeon says she intends to explore all means possible of maintaining Scotland’s place in the EU. She has called for an urgent meeting with the president of the European commission.
Sturgeon says she has talked to the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, who shares her views about London’s place in the EU.
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Nicola Sturgeon is now giving her reaction. She says the vote in favour in Scotland was “significant” as it came after positive case for immigration. The vote is a sign of divergence between Scotland and the rest of the UK, she adds.
She says taking the UK out of the EU against the will of Scots is “democratically unacceptable”.
Brexit represents a material change to the terms under which Scotland voted against independence.
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The president of the EU commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, says there will be no re-negotiation on Britain’s membership of the EU.
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Michael Gove also pays tribute to Cameron, who he says should be remembered as a “great prime minister”.
He says the vote to leave is the start to a process. Officials and diplomats can start to scope out the best possible terms for Britain, Gove says.
Britain is embarking on a new chapter that is inline with its traditions of openness and tolerance, Gove insists.
Our liberal democratic tradition are being renewed, Gove adds.
“Britain can move forward in the spirit of the warm, humane and generous values that are the best of Britain,” Gove says.
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Johnson says he agrees with Cameron’s decision not to immediately invoke article 50 to leave the EU. He says the EU is no longer right for this country. He claims young people can look forward to a prosperous future if we take back control from the EU.
He adds:
Above all we can find our voice in the world again. Powerful, liberal, humane, an extraordinary force for good. Yesterday the British people have spoken up for democracy.
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Boris Johnson pays tribute to Cameron as a “brave and principled man” and praised his “compassionate Conservatism”. He also thanked Cameron for holding a referendum. He said holding the referendum was “right and inevitable”. It was about the right of people to elect people who make key decisions in their lives. “They have decided to vote to take back control,” he said.
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Vote Leave is holding a press conference. Vote Leave’s chair, Gisela Stuart, pledges that Britain will remain a good neighbour.
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Henry McDonaldHenry McDonald
Martin McGuinness has warned that the impact of Brexit would be “very profound” for Northern Ireland.Martin McGuinness has warned that the impact of Brexit would be “very profound” for Northern Ireland.
The Sinn Fein deputy first minister of Northern Ireland said David Cameron had been “tow-towing” to the “little Englander mentality” and yet people in Northern Ireland both from the unionist and nationalist community had voted against that. The Sinn Féin deputy first minister of Northern Ireland said David Cameron had been “tow-towing” to the “little Englander mentality” and yet people in Northern Ireland both from the unionist and nationalist community had voted against that.
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Maev KennedyMaev Kennedy
John Kampfner, former New Statesman editor and now chief executive of the Creative Industries Federation - whose members overwhelmingly backed remain – has pledged it will now do a bit of necessary bridge building. John Kampfner, former New Statesman editor and now chief executive of the Creative Industries Federation – whose members overwhelmingly backed remain, has pledged it will now do a bit of necessary bridge building.
He said: “Within the UK, we will play our part in helping to bridge divides within and between the nations and regions of the country.He said: “Within the UK, we will play our part in helping to bridge divides within and between the nations and regions of the country.
“It will be vital for all sides to work together to ensure that the interests of our sector on issues including access to funding and talent are safeguarded as the UK forges its new relationship with Europe. The importance of British culture in representing our country to the world will be greater than ever.”“It will be vital for all sides to work together to ensure that the interests of our sector on issues including access to funding and talent are safeguarded as the UK forges its new relationship with Europe. The importance of British culture in representing our country to the world will be greater than ever.”
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Here’s a regional breakdown of the result.Here’s a regional breakdown of the result.
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Frances PerraudinFrances Perraudin
In the village of Birstall a handful of people were paying their respects at the memorial to Jo Cox in the village square, just around the corner from where she was killed a week ago.In the village of Birstall a handful of people were paying their respects at the memorial to Jo Cox in the village square, just around the corner from where she was killed a week ago.
The area of Kirklees, which includes Cox’s constituency of Batley and Spen, voted to leave by 55.7% on a 71% turnout, slightly lower than surrounding areas Wakefield (66.4%) and Barnsley (68.3%).The area of Kirklees, which includes Cox’s constituency of Batley and Spen, voted to leave by 55.7% on a 71% turnout, slightly lower than surrounding areas Wakefield (66.4%) and Barnsley (68.3%).
Michelle Victor, 33, who works in HR for the NHS, says she knows people who changed the way they voted because of the MP’s murder, feeling they would be associating themselves with her attacker if they voted to leave. “People would have thought long and hard when making their decision, but we are where we are,” she says. Michelle Victor, 33, who works in HR for the NHS, said she knew people who changed the way they voted because of the MP’s murder, feeling they would be associating themselves with her attacker if they voted to leave. “People would have thought long and hard when making their decision, but we are where we are,” she said.
“[Jo Cox] would be incredibly disappointed, but she would have been out there for the community, working as she always did to bring us all together, because – even though this is a traditional Pennine area – there are diverse communities and different views.”“[Jo Cox] would be incredibly disappointed, but she would have been out there for the community, working as she always did to bring us all together, because – even though this is a traditional Pennine area – there are diverse communities and different views.”
Ismail Rhjah, a 33-year-old technical engineer, says he helped Cox’s campaign on various issues in the area and that she often visited his mosque and his cricket club. He said he felt let down and disappointed by the result. “This is something that Jo felt very strongly about and she would have been let down as well. I was hoping that England would be behind us, in sympathy with Jo and what she wanted.” Ismail Rhjah, a 33-year-old technical engineer, said he helped Cox’s campaign on various issues in the area and that she often visited his mosque and his cricket club. He said he felt let down and disappointed by the result. “This is something that Jo felt very strongly about and she would have been let down as well. I was hoping that England would be behind us, in sympathy with Jo and what she wanted.”
Another woman, who asked not to be named, said that the result and the resignation of David Cameron was the best thing that had ever happened to the UK. “I hope it’ll be George Osborne next,” she says. Another woman, who asked not to be named, said that the result and the resignation of David Cameron was the best thing that had ever happened to the UK. “I hope it’ll be George Osborne next,” she said.
She says that while some may have decided to vote in accordance with Cox’s wishes, many in the area were already set on voting to leave. “The way you vote is very personal and everybody does what they think is best for themselves and their families.” She added that while some may have decided to vote in accordance with Cox’s wishes, many in the area were already set on voting to leave. “The way you vote is very personal and everybody does what they think is best for themselves and their families.”
A handful of mourners at the Jo Cox memorial in Birstall. One says he had hoped "England would be behind us". pic.twitter.com/Levs3sfDKsA handful of mourners at the Jo Cox memorial in Birstall. One says he had hoped "England would be behind us". pic.twitter.com/Levs3sfDKs
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The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, has said he wants a place within the team that will negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. He expressed deep concerns that Welsh jobs will be at risk and was gloomy about the very future of the union. The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, has said he wants a place within the team that will negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. He expressed deep concerns that Welsh jobs would be at risk and was gloomy about the future of the UK.
Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones - time to unite, to think clearly. https://t.co/7c4v2baoJ9Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones - time to unite, to think clearly. https://t.co/7c4v2baoJ9
Seventeen of the 22 Welsh local authority areas voted for out including heartland Labour places such as the south Wales valleys. Jones said the timing – just six weeks after an assembly election - had been “impossible.” Seventeen of the 22 Welsh local authority areas voted for out including heartland Labour places such as the south Wales valleys. Jones said the timing – just six weeks after an assembly election - had been “impossible”.
He said people on the doorstep had told him that they were making a stand against the Tories in Westminster. “The EU has become a proxy for the anger of the people, the anger they feel is about job security, casualisation of the workforce, having jobs with no pension, not having union recognition. These are all issues that are controlled from London.”He said people on the doorstep had told him that they were making a stand against the Tories in Westminster. “The EU has become a proxy for the anger of the people, the anger they feel is about job security, casualisation of the workforce, having jobs with no pension, not having union recognition. These are all issues that are controlled from London.”
Jones is no huge fan of Labour’s national leader, Jeremy Corbyn but he absolved him of blame. Jones is no huge fan of Labour’s national leader, Jeremy Corbyn, but he absolved him of blame.
He said: “It is too early for anyone to fully analyse why the country voted the way it did last night – but one thing is obvious. Areas of Wales and England that contain post-industrial communities, often deprived communities, voted out – even though they had often benefited massively from European funding. Even though those communities voted for parties in May who supported a remain vote. Too many people in these communities feel that politics, and our economy, has left them behind, and we have a real task ahead to undo that sense of alienation.” He also accepted that fears about immigration were a factor. “A message had been given to [voters] that their job security was a result of immigration. They believed it.” He said: “It is too early for anyone to fully analyse why the country voted the way it did last night – but one thing is obvious. Areas of Wales and England that contain post-industrial communities, often deprived communities, voted out – even though they had often benefited massively from European funding. Even though those communities voted for parties in May who supported a remain vote. Too many people in these communities feel that politics, and our economy, has left them behind, and we have a real task ahead to undo that sense of alienation.”
Speaking in the Welsh capital, Jones said he wanted a place on the top negotiating team: “We have to get the best deal for Wales...I would not trust the UK government to do all this themselves.” An avid unionist, he sounded gloomy on the prospects of the UK staying together. “As to the as to the future, it’s very difficult to predict,” he said. The first minister said his number one priority was protecting Welsh jobs. “It’s right to say it is more difficult now to attract investment into Wales.” Jones also accepted that fears about immigration were a factor. “A message had been given to [voters] that their job security was a result of immigration. They believed it.”
Speaking in the Welsh capital, Jones said he wanted a place on the top negotiating team. “We have to get the best deal for Wales … I would not trust the UK government to do all this themselves.”
An avid unionist, he sounded gloomy on the prospects of the UK staying together. “As to the future, it’s very difficult to predict,” he said. The first minister said his number one priority was protecting Welsh jobs. “It’s right to say it is more difficult now to attract investment into Wales.”
After protecting jobs, Jones said his priorities were:After protecting jobs, Jones said his priorities were:
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Philip OltermannPhilip Oltermann
The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has invited his counterparts from the six founding members of the EU – France, Germany Belgium, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg – to Berlin for an emergency summit tomorrow.The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has invited his counterparts from the six founding members of the EU – France, Germany Belgium, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg – to Berlin for an emergency summit tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Elmar Brok, a German MEP, CDU member, and chairman of the European parliament committee on foreign affairs, told the Guardian that the European parliament would call on Jean-Claude Juncker to strip the British commissioner Jonathan Hill of his financial services brief with immediate effect and turn him into a “commissioner without portfolio”.Meanwhile, Elmar Brok, a German MEP, CDU member, and chairman of the European parliament committee on foreign affairs, told the Guardian that the European parliament would call on Jean-Claude Juncker to strip the British commissioner Jonathan Hill of his financial services brief with immediate effect and turn him into a “commissioner without portfolio”.
“We will need to have classical divorce negotiations as you do it in real life. They will have to negotiate from the position of a third country, not as a member state. If Britain wants to have a similar status to Switzerland and Norway, then it will also have to pay into EU structural funds like those countries do. The British public will find out what that means.”“We will need to have classical divorce negotiations as you do it in real life. They will have to negotiate from the position of a third country, not as a member state. If Britain wants to have a similar status to Switzerland and Norway, then it will also have to pay into EU structural funds like those countries do. The British public will find out what that means.”
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Henry McDonaldHenry McDonald
Arlene Foster, the first minister of Northern Ireland, has expressed her delight at the Brexit outcome.Arlene Foster, the first minister of Northern Ireland, has expressed her delight at the Brexit outcome.
The Democratic Unionist leader said: “I think this is a good result for the United Kingdom. Our nation state has made a clear definition as to where they want to go forward. They backed hope, they backed aspiration, they backed the future potential of the United Kingdom and I’m very pleased with the result.”The Democratic Unionist leader said: “I think this is a good result for the United Kingdom. Our nation state has made a clear definition as to where they want to go forward. They backed hope, they backed aspiration, they backed the future potential of the United Kingdom and I’m very pleased with the result.”
Foster said she was “proud” of Northern Ireland, although it has to be stressed again that the region voted by a majority of 54% to 46% in favour of remaining inside the EU.Foster said she was “proud” of Northern Ireland, although it has to be stressed again that the region voted by a majority of 54% to 46% in favour of remaining inside the EU.
With her partner in government Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Féin deputy first minister, today demanding a poll on the future of Northern Ireland within the UK, it will be interesting to see how the two leaders continue to hold together the power-sharing government in Belfast.With her partner in government Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Féin deputy first minister, today demanding a poll on the future of Northern Ireland within the UK, it will be interesting to see how the two leaders continue to hold together the power-sharing government in Belfast.
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Here’s a video of Boris Johnson’s car being blocked by cyclists.
BORIS GOT LOCKARFFFFF 😂😂😂 #EUref #Brexit pic.twitter.com/Pue9d7X18N
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10:40
Arthur Neslen
The Brexit vote has left senior EU climate officials reeling, with shock and depression already mingling with fears that the “dirty man of Europe” may stage a comeback.
Officials will be closely scanning the British political scene for signs of commitment to the Paris agreement, the 2020 climate targets and, above all, the bloc’s carbon market, the Emissions Trading System (ETS).
Committing to stay in the ETS would demonstrate that the UK was a sovereign state that can honour international deals, they say.
Britain is unlikely to renege on an emissions reduction target for 2020 that it has already substantially met. But the country is lagging on renewable energy goals and credible enforcement mechanisms there have just disappeared.
While a mutual interest is seen in “playing nicely” on climate politics, much will hinge on whether other EU states see a new working arrangement as a model for repudiating bloc membership.
Next month’s planned launch of emissions reductions targets for individual states by 2030 is now in question, sources say.
In Brussels, the UK has come to be viewed as an ambitious climate actor, which has played a positive role as a channel to Barack Obama’s climate-sensitive US administration. There are some fears of a rightwards lurch that could leave it an offshore environmentally-deregulated zone.
“We all remember the dirty man of Europe,” one senior official said. “He might be on his way back”.
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Blair turns on Corbyn
Tony Blair said the referendum result has made him “sad for our country, for Europe, for the world” and he turned on Jeremy Corbyn for a “lukewarm” and backward-looking Labour campaign.
Speaking to Sky News, Blair said: “It has got vast implications economically and politically. The prime minister has got a huge task in trying to bring people together. There is no point in hiding it, for me this is a very very sad day.”
Blair praised Cameron for not immediately invoking article 50, as Corbyn demanded. “We really need to think our way through this. What’s important now to stabilise our situation,” Blair said.
On Corbyn, he said: “I think the leadership of the Labour party was pretty lukewarm in its support for remain. I don’t think we mobilised our supporters to understand that this was not a protest vote against the government or indeed against the establishment. Those people in Labour areas ... can see cuts to local services, they can see pressure on local industry and jobs. These are the big challenges that country’s around the today world face. Unfortunately the right answer is to leave the largest commercial market and biggest political union in the world and I don’t think we really explained that to our voters.”
He added: “One of things I heard from Jeremy Corbyn was this notion that successive governments have let down the people in some of the Labour areas that are voting leave. We invested massively in those areas, we introduced things like the minimum wage, we signed up to European social chapter. The way to bring these people back to a sensible view of politics is to go and provide them with answers to the problems we face. It is about the future not in taking our country back to a time that doesn’t exist in the world anymore.”
Blair said the referendum result posed bigger questions for Labour than who leads the party.
He said: “You can see this happening about world, look at the United States of American and elsewhere in Europe: The centre left and centre right have lost political traction. We have got to accept that. The populous insurgent movements of left and right are taking control right now. We have got to work out where we are going. All of these problems are coming from the force of globalisation. The answers don’t lie in shutting ourselves off from the world. You can ride the anger from these populous movements, but you don’t actually produce the answers to the challenges that people face.
He added: “The answers to the problems people face, is not to turn on migrants or to divide the country, it through education, it’s through infrastructure, it’s through understanding how the modern world works.”
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Here’s video of Boris driving away from his home to boos and shouts of “shame on you” and worse.
Boris soundly booed this morning #Brexit #EURefResults #BorisJohnson pic.twitter.com/x4xBOCnhk0
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Lisa O'Carroll
Festivalgoers at Glastonbury are waking up to the multiple shocks of the leave victory, Cameron’s resignation and a rain-free night.
“Aargh, I live in a country of fascists,” one person was heard shouting from his tent just after 7am.
“I don’t want to have children in this country,” said another.
“Cameron’s gone, let’s just stay here in Glastonbury,” said another.
One women muttering quietly to her friend at about 7.30am joked: “I know this Vietnamese person who is marrying an Amercian for a green card. Maybe I’ll have to marry a Frenchman to stay in the EU.”
Others were jubilant. “I think it’s great news. Now we can have another referendum and join the EU,” said a Scottish security guard.
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Nadia Khomami
Boos greeted leave campaigner Boris Johnson as he left his London home this morning.
Johnson, who is the favourite to succeed David Cameron as prime minister, said little to waiting reporters.
Instead he got into a cab to drive to Vote Leave headquarters.
A crowd gathered outside the former London mayor’s house throughout the morning, with expectations that he might announce running for prime minister following Cameron’s resignation.
But Johnson walked straight from his door to a waiting car as the crowd – some of whom had been waiting for three hours – followed and heckled him, while police officers tried to calm the situation.
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09:51
Maev Kennedy
The arts face many challenges in the wake of the Brexit vote, the actor and director Samuel West has warned. West, who is chair of the National Campaign for the Arts, said:
The vast majority of those working in the cultural sector backed a vote to remain. We are now very concerned about our ability to access important European funding, such as the €1.3bn Creative Europe programme. But the implications for the arts don’t end with money. There are a host of other issues that we must address over the coming months: international artistic exchange, export of cultural products, copyright, visas and access to training in European centres of excellence, to name just some. The National Campaign for the Arts will do all it can to ensure that an exit from the EU does not mean a fall from our position as world leaders in the arts and creativity.
We call on the secretary of state for culture, media and sport to do everything in his power to ensure that there is no further damage to the sector as a result of yesterday’s vote. This has been a hard-fought and difficult campaign. Now more than ever the arts need resources and support to allow us to play a role in bringing communities back together and to continue to fly the flag for British culture.
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09:46
Guardian reporter Saeed Kamali Dehghan has sent this from Oslo, where Norwegians have been closely watching the results of the referendum in the UK – even though they are not part of the European Union.
Reeta Torronen, 37, who works at an advertising company, expressed worries about the future of the EU without Britain. “I am scared,” she said. “That might be the beginning of whole EU falling apart. Britain has money and power and the EU would be much weaker without it.”
“Shock and disbelief of the yes-side,” read the main headline on the website of the newspaper Aftenposten. Another Norwegian daily, Dagens Næringsliv, concluded that the financial consequences of the Brexit would be “brutal. This is what we feared would happen.”
A middle-aged Norwegian woman, who preferred not to give her name, said she believed Britain did not have much to lose. “We are not in the EU either and I believe it’s better to be out.”
Joseph Friend, a 31-year-old American visiting Oslo, said: “It’s a horrible idea to leave, we have enough turmoil because of Hillary and Trump who are creating mayhem so it’s a shame to see other countries dissolving.”
A 31-year-old Norwegian personal trainer, David Ewalde, feared the repercussions. “I don’t know what would the repercussions will be but the British people wanted to leave because they thought the benefits of doing so outweighed the cost, but I’m not sure if that’s a right decision.”
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09:46
Justin Welby, the archbishop of Canterbury, says Britain will have to “reimagine” its place in the world in the wake of the vote but should continue to cherish “our wonderfully diverse society”.
In a statement, Welby, who came out in favour of remain, said:
The vote to withdraw from the European Union means that now we must all reimagine both what it means to be the United Kingdom in an interdependent world and what values and virtues should shape and guide our relationships with others.
We must now unite in a common task to build a generous and forward looking country, contributing to human flourishing around the world. We must remain hospitable and compassionate, builders of bridges and not barriers. Many of those living among us and alongside us as neighbours, friends and work colleagues come from overseas and some will feel a deep sense of insecurity. We must respond by offering reassurance, by cherishing our wonderfully diverse society, and by affirming the unique contribution of each and every one.
The referendum campaign has been vigorous and at times has caused hurt to those on one side or the other. We must therefore act with humility and courage - being true to the principles that make the very best of our nation. Unity, hope and generosity will enable us to overcome the period of transition that will now happen, and to emerge confident and successful. The opportunities and challenges that face us as a nation and as global citizens are too significant for us to settle for less.
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9.34am BST
09:34
Jessica Elgot
The defence secretary, Michael Fallon, has said he would have preferred to the prime minister to remain longer in his post.
Speaking on BBC News, Fallon said: “Yes, you can argue you need someone part of the leave campaign to lead the negotiations. I think the PM would have been the best person [to negotiate], but it’s his decision, it was the honourable decision, now we’ve got to get on and make this work.”
Asked about the prospects of Boris Johnson becoming prime minister, Fallon said: “He’ll be one of the candidates; there’ll be other candidates. A bit too early to start making the odds. I’m certainly not going to be putting my hat in the ring.”
On the economy he said: “You have seen the turmoil in the markets, it’s beginning to recover, but … Osborne was right to warn there will be consequences.
“I hope we will resume growth and see investment decisions. Obviously investment was paused while we waited for the result and now we may have to wait a little longer for the result of the negotiations.”
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