“From the European perspective, the question of the outcome of the referendum is one thing, but I think if you take the broader picture then what the referendum shows is that you’re dealing with these “eurosceptic” and populist parties everywhere across the continent these days and so either way, whether the United Kingdom stays or leaves, I think that the main takeaway here is that the days of ever closer integration are basically over”, Carsten Nickel, a political risk analyst at Teneo Intelligence, told CNBC in a phone interview.
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The Electoral Commission said a record 46.5 million people have registered to vote. The heated campaign saw the nation take stock of its place in the modern world, even as it questioned the direction it wanted to take in the future.
A voter in the town centre told us “it’s always important to vote and have your say because otherwise you can’t complain” about the result.
“Leave” campaigners claim that only a British exit can restore power to Parliament and control immigration.
Global banks have warned that the value of the pound could fall dramatically if Britain votes to leave the European Union and traders expect markets to be more volatile than at any time since the 2008-09 financial crisis.
The pound was up 1.1 percent on the day, at $1.4874, the highest level so far this year.
An Ipsos MORI poll for the Evening Standard newspaper, conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, suggested support for “Remain” stood at 52 percent while “Leave” was on 48 percent.
The scene inside the White Horse Inn in Priors Dean, Hampshire, England also known as the “Pub with no name” which has been made a polling station for the European Union referendum today.
Pollsters say turnout will be a critical factor in the vote. Somewhat higher turnout should maximise the Remain vote, given that younger people – who tend not to vote – are more likely to be Europhile.
The campaign, which has exposed bitter divisions in the ruling Conservative Party, was dominated by immigration and the economy and shaken by the murder of pro-EU Labour politician Jo Cox last week.
“It’s all about turnout and those soft “remainers” staying at home”, U.K. Independence Party leader Nigel Farage said outside his home.
“If we don’t vote to leave tomorrow we will remain locked in the back of the vehicle, driven in an uncertain direction, frankly, to a place we don’t want to go and perhaps by a driver who doesn’t speak the very best of English”, said Johnson, a leading contender to replace Cameron as prime minister. Strong rains and some flooding have caused problems in parts of London and southeast England that may make it hard for some voters to get to the polls.
Britain is deeply divided on EU membership, with big differences between older and younger voters, and between pro-EU London and Scotland and eurosceptic middle England. London’s Fire Brigade received hundreds of calls of weather-related incidents early today, including some reports of flooding and lightning strikes.
Weather forecasters quipped that voters in the southeast would need umbrellas and possibly rubber boots in order to cast ballots.
The Prime Minister voted with wife Samantha at a polling booth in Westminster, just yards from his Downing Street office from where he will keep a keen eye on the results.
Nickel went on to say that while the risk of countries pushing to leave was not immediate, the Netherlands -in addition to Sweden and Denmark – would be watched closely.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says there will be a big impact on the global economy if Britain votes to leave the European Union. Voters will have to tick a box either next to “Remain a member of the European Union”, or “Leave the European Union” option.
Traders, investors and companies were braced for volatility on financial markets whatever the outcome of a vote that both reflected, and has fuelled, an anti-establishment mood also seen in the United States and elsewhere in Europe.
Her husband, Brendan Cox, told the BBC she had been concerned about politics becoming “too tribal and unthinking”. “What a handsome irony it is that an act created to advance hatred has instead generated such an outpouring of love”.
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The reach of the European Union into every aspect of life has made the issues at stake far more complex than in a general election.
