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Nigel Farage says Leave win marks UK 'independence day' | |
(about 4 hours later) | |
Nigel Farage has claimed victory in the EU referendum for the Leave campaign, saying 23 June would "go down in our history as our independence day". | |
The UKIP leader told supporters at a Brexit party: "Dare to dream that the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom." | |
With 335 out of 382 results declared, the BBC has forecast a Leave win. | |
The English shires and Wales voted for Brexit while London, Scotland and Northern Ireland backed a Remain vote. | |
Follow the latest developments on our live page | |
Mr Farage, who has built his political career on campaigning for the UK to leave the EU, had predicted at the start of the night that Remain would "edge" a win, a view which he said was based on some "big polling" done by "the financial markets". | |
But by 03:45 BST, he returned to a Brexit party in London and told supporters: "This, if the predictions now are right, this will be a victory for real people, a victory for ordinary people, a victory for decent people. | |
"We have fought against the multinationals, we have fought against the big merchant banks, we have fought against big politics, we have fought against lies, corruption and deceit. | |
"And today honesty, decency and belief in nation, I think now is going to win. | |
"And we will have done it without having to fight, without a single bullet being fired, we'd have done it by damned hard work on the ground." | |
Earlier Mr Farage, who was not part of the official Vote Leave campaign, said Eurosceptics had long been dismissed as "fringey" and "fruitcakes" but now: "The Eurosceptic genie is out of the bottle and will not be put back". | |
Speaking at a Leave.EU party in central London, he suggested that a late decision to extend the voter registration deadline by 48 hours - after a computer glitch left some people unable to sign up in the final two hours before the original deadline - might play a part in a Remain win. | |
It later emerged that more than 430,000 people applied to register to vote during the extension - the bulk of which were aged under 45. | It later emerged that more than 430,000 people applied to register to vote during the extension - the bulk of which were aged under 45. |
But UKIP's sole MP, Douglas Carswell, appeared to disagree with his party leader. | |
He said the Leave campaign could "legitimately complain about taxpayer-funded propaganda" by the pro-Remain government but "when it comes to getting people to engage in a referendum, surely that's a good thing". | He said the Leave campaign could "legitimately complain about taxpayer-funded propaganda" by the pro-Remain government but "when it comes to getting people to engage in a referendum, surely that's a good thing". |