February 20, 2016 – Cameron announces that the date of the referendum will be June 23.
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Britons have voted on whether to quit the European Union in a bitterly-contested referendum that polarised the nation and could change the face of Europe.
“Another swing in opinion polls back towards Remaining in the EU has sparked a six-month high for the British pound and a surge in United Kingdom and European stocks”, said Jasper Lawler, analyst at trading group CMC Markets.
If Britain becomes the first state to exit the European Union, the so-called Brexit would be the biggest blow to the 28-nation bloc since its foundation. I’m unlikely to be significantly affected, but leaving the European Union would impact a lot of people and would not fix things in the way they want to fix them. He is voting to stay.
Outside of a polling station at St. John’s Methodist Church in the city, a steady stream of voters cast their ballots.
A vote leave campaigner was braving the wet weather holding a placard in the hope to persuade people to vote for Brexit. Cameron says it would cause financial chaos and impoverish the nation.
A police officer stands outside a polling station being used in the European Union referendum at Birstall library, West Yorkshire, England Thursday June 23, 2016 near to where Labour MP Jo Cox was attacked and killed outside her constituency surgery.
Most polls suggest Britain will stay in the EU. Other European stock markets were up nearly 2 percent. Both were conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday Britain votes in a national referendum on whether to stay inside the European Union, a momentous decision with far-reaching implications for Britain and Europe.
An opinion poll released Thursday suggested the “remain” camp would win by a narrow margin.
“If the vote is to “Leave”, the pound gets trashed. Nobody wants the added uncertainty of a resignation”, the newspaper quoted an unnamed minister as saying.
Leading Brexit backer Boris Johnson, a former London mayor who is widely touted as a future prime minister, insisted the “Leave” campaign was on the brink of an “extraordinary” victory. “Let’s make today our Independence Day”.
In Brussels, the referendum has raised concerns of a domino effect of exit votes that would imperil the integrity of the bloc, already buffeted by the eurozone and migration crises. Scots voted against independence in a plebiscite in 2014.
The slaying of pro-Europe lawmaker Jo Cox in the week before the vote could prove a factor in the outcome. It had fallen nearly to $1.40 last week when polls showed a surge towards Leave.
The Prime Minister and his Remain colleagues from across the political spectrum have warned of the potentially severe economic consequences of a Brexit vote amid fears of financial market turmoil and another recession.
Market strategist Michael Ingram of BGC Partners said a “leave” vote would shock the markets and cause a “very, very hard day indeed” for the pound.
The markets loathe uncertainty and such a decision would likely bring down the British pound and push the US dollar up, keeping Federal Reserve interest rate rises on hold for much longer as the damage is evaluated and divorce terms are settled with the EU.
He said: “I was out walking my dog and with this weather I thought why not go and vote anyway at this time”.
Whatever the outcome of the vote, the focus on immigration to Britain, which has increased dramatically in recent years, could worsen frictions in a country where the gap between rich and poor has also been widening. A statement could also be issued to underscore the unity of the rest of the EU. In China, the Global Times, published by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, warned Britain would lose its influence globally if voters backed Brexit.
World leaders from U.S. President Barack Obama to Chinese President Xi Jinping have called for the U.K.to stay. Their previous high was the 2012 US presidential election at 40 million pounds.
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“We’ll be the first to leave and I think the other European countries will leave after this”, she said, as she arrived to cast her ballot. “You know, just go it alone”.
