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Britain chooses Brexit: victory for Vote Leave campaign in the EU referendum
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Britain chooses Brexit: victory for Vote Leave campaign in the EU referendum

WITH over 92 per cent of the votes from yesterday's EU referendum now counted, it is certain that the Leave campaign has won and Britain will exit the European union. 

Polls closed at 10pm last night and votes from England, Scotland, Wales and the North of Ireland were counted overnight.

Initially, it seemed Remain was pulling ahead, but most early polls predicted the result would be neck and neck.

However in the early hours of this morning, a result for Leave has been called, and is now official.

So far, Leave is in the lead by about 1 million votes.

Remain accounts for 48 per cent of the votes, while Leave has 51 per cent, about 16.5 million votes. 

Scroll down for the latest on PM David Cameron's resignation...

While Prime Minister David Cameron is yet to make a statement, questions are now rife about whether he will be able stay in his position when the nation has rejected his opinion and voted against him.

Hilary Benn, the shadow foreign secretary, said earlier this morning that Cameron would have to resign if the UK voted to leave.

UKIP leader Nigel Farage, one of the leaders of the Leave campaign, has declared June 23 “our independence day”.

Meanwhile, the consequences for both Northern Ireland and Scotland are also being debated.

For Scotland, where the majority vote was to stay in the EU, the idea that another in/out referendum for Scottish independence is already being discussed.

Geographically, Scotland and London both voted to remain in the EU, but the rest of England and Wales returned a majority Leave result.

The people of the North of Ireland also returned a majority vote to stay in.

A vote on a United Ireland is being called for by Sinn Fein, and the delicate and difficult matter of how Brexit will effect borders in the North is also up in the air.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4 this morning, a UKIP representative said there would not be "enough support" for a united Ireland.

Meanwhile on the markets overnight, sterling has plunged to a 30 year low against the dollar as Britain voted to end a 40 year contract with the EU.

UPDATE: 08.35am David Cameron says he will resign as Prime Minister following the EU referendum. 

Speaking outside Downing Street  he said he would attempt to "steady the ship" over the coming period, but a new PM is expected to be in Number 10 by October.