EU referendum result: polls are closed... now Britain waits to see if we have chosen to Remain or Leave

Former mayor of London Boris Johnson and his wife Marina Wheeler in London after narrowly arriving in time to vote
Reuters
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Polling stations have now closed in the momentous referendum on Britain’s EU membership that could change the course of history.

Millions of people visited voting booths today to have their say on whether the UK should quit or remain in the European Union.

At close of voting, a poll by YouGov had the Remain campaign leading at 52 per cent with 48 per cent for the Leave camp.

In a key development, a letter signed by 84 MPs, two thirds of whom openly backed Vote Leave, was delivered to Downing Street, urging David Cameron to stay on whichever way the result goes.

Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson is understood to be among those who signed.

Joe Twyman, head of political and social research at YouGov said: “The results are close and it is too early to call it definitively.

“YouGov conducted a survey, going back to the same people we spoke to yesterday to find out how they actually voted.

One of the first ballot boxes to arrive at a count at the Royal Horticultural Halls in London
PA

"The survey found a small move to Remain and based on these results we expect the United Kingdom to continue as a member of the European Union.

“Remain are on 52% with Leave on 48%."

Ballot papers being counted in Islington
Nigel Howard

As polls closed, Electoral Commission Chief Counting Officer Jenny Watson said: “The first stage of the count process which is underway now is called verification.

“It involves counting the number of ballot papers in each ballot box and checking that the totals match the number expected according to the records kept in polling stations and by those checking postal votes.

“This is an essential part of the count.”

Nigel Farage spoke shortly after polling ended and apparently conceded defeat, saying he thought the Remain campaign would edge it.

Officials across the country have begun the process of furiously ploughing through ballot papers. Results will trickle in from around the UK during the early hours.

A final national decision on whether Britain should break away from the EU or not is expected around breakfast time tomorrow morning.

EU Referendum polling day - in pictures

1/17

However the torrential rain in London has impacted the vote to such an extent that it is feared many voters were unable to make it to polling stations before they shut.

In the run up to the big vote the Electoral Commission confirmed that a record 46.5 million people had registered to take part.

Data showed 39 million were set to vote in England, 4 million in Scotland, 2.3 million in Wales and 1.3 million in Northern Ireland.

People scrambled to sign up as registration closed to make it the biggest ballot in British history - nearly 150,000 more than those signed up to vote in last year’s general election.

World leaders and the City of London are all braced for the result which could rock global financial markets, change the shape of the continent and even spark a second Scottish independence referendum.

Prime Minister David Cameron’s future also hangs in the balance, with many expecting him to stand down if the country decides to leave.

Polling in the run up to today’s vote showed the two sides achingly close, with neither the Remain or Leave camps willing to speculate on the result.

It follows weeks of campaigning which grew in animosity as divisions were exposed in both the Conservative and Labour parties and the wider country over the issue of immigration.

At the height of the row the campaign was suspended following the horrific death of Labour MP Jo Cox, who was stabbed and shot outside her constituency surgery.

This page is being updated

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in

MORE ABOUT