UK media predict Britain will leave European Union
Britain is on course to leave the European Union (EU) after 43 years in the bloc following a historic referendum, according to the latest media predictions.
Major British broadcasters including ITV, BBC and the Sky have all predicted the “Leave” camp will win, a development that will send shockwaves across Europe.
London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers.
Supporters of the ‘Leave’ vote are already jubilant as results show a lead for them.
UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage was among the first to assume a celebratory tone, saying the country was taking its independence back.
British Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to make an announcement outside his official residence in London soon as his future as leader looks uncertain.
The pound, the official currency of the United Kingdom, fell to its lowest level against the US dollar since 1985 as the global markets reacted to the results.
Polling stations opened at 6:00 GMT (7:00 a.m.) on Thursday, allowing more than 46 million eligible Britons to cast their ballots in the vote that has deeply polarized the country and caused heated debates and disputes both within the UK and across the English Channel in Europe, especially over the past few weeks.
Membership of the European Union has been a controversial issue in the UK since the country joined the then European Economic Community in 1973.
The UK vote has already drawn varying reactions from leaders across the world, with many EU and US officials urging Britons to stay in the bloc, while others have warned of the repercussions of remaining in the union.
Those in favor of remaining in the bloc argue that leaving it would risk the UK's prosperity, diminish its influence over world affairs, and result in trade barriers between the UK and the EU.
On the spectrum, Britons who favor withdrawal believe that outside the bloc, the UK would be better off in conducting its own trade negotiations, better able to control immigration and free from what they believe to be excessive EU regulations and bureaucracy.
Final results of the so-called Brexit referendum are expected in several hours.
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