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EU referendum live – Boris Johnson says 'no need for haste' over Brexit Brexit live – Nicola Sturgeon says second Scottish referendum 'highly likely'
(35 minutes later)
12.03pm BST
12:03
What we know so far
Mark Tran
11.53am BST
11:53
A petition for a second EU referendum is so popular that site has crashed.
11.50am BST
11:50
Jessica Elgot
Here’s the full text of Boris Johnson’s comments:
I want to begin by paying tribute to David Cameron who has spoken earlier from Downing Street, and I know I speak for Michael when I saw how sad I am that he has decided to step down but obviously I respect that decision. I have known David Cameron for a very long time, and I believe he has been one of the most extraordinary politicians of our age. A brave and principled man, who has given superb leadership of his party and his country for many years.
Delivering one nation Conservative government, making this country the most dynamic economy in Europe and with his own brand of compassionate Conservative that rightly earned his party the first majority government for decades. It was his bravery that gave this country the first referendum on the European Union for 43 years. Today I think all of us politicians need to thank the British people for the way they have been doing ou job for us. They hire us to deal with the hard questions and this year we gave them one of the biggest and toughest questions of all.
Some people are now saying that was wrong and that people should never have been asked in that way. I disagree, it was entirely right and inevitable and there is no way of dealing with a decision on this scale except by putting it to the people.
Because in the end this decision is about the people, the right of people in this country to settle their own destiny. The very principles of our democracy, the rights of all of us to elect and remove the people who make the key decisions in their lives. And I think that the electorate have searched in their hearts and answered as best they can in a poll the scale the like of which we have never seen before in this country. They have decided it is time to vote to take back control from a EU that has become too opaque and not accountable enough to the people it is meant to serve.
In voting to leave the EU, it is vital to stress there is no need for haste, and as the prime minister has said, nothing will change in the short term except how to give effect to the will of the people and to extracate this country from the supranational system. There is no need to invoke article 50.
And to those who may be anxious both at home and abroad, this does not mean that the United Kingdom will be in anyway less united, it does not mean it will be any less European. I want to speak directly to the millions of people who did not vote for this outcome, especially young people who may feel that this decision involves somehow pulling up the drawbridge because i think the very opposite is true.
We cannot turn our backs on Europe we are part of Europe, our children and our grandchildren will continue to have a wonderful future as Europeans, travelling to the continent, understanding the languages and the cultures that make up our common European civilisation, continuing to interact with the peoples of other countries in a way that is open and friendly and outward looking. And I want to reassure everyone Britain will continue to be a great European power, leading discussions on defence and foreign policy and the work that goes on to make our world safer.
But there is simply no need in the 21st century to be part of a federal government in Brussels that is imitated nowhere else on Earth. It was a noble idea for its time but it is no longer right for this country. It is the essence of our case that young people in this country can look forward to a more secure and more prosperous future, if we take back the democratic control which is the foundation of our economic prosperity. We have a glorious opportunity, to pass our laws and set our taxes entirely according to the needs of the UK, we can control our borders in a way that is not discriminatory but fair and balanced and take the wind out of the sails of the extremists and those who would play politics with immigration.
Above all we can find our voice in the world again, a voice commensurate with the fifth biggest economy on earth. Powerful, liberal, humane, an extraordinary force for good in the world. The most precious thing this country has given the world is the ide aof parliamentary democracy. Yesterday, I beleive the British people have spoken up for democracy in Britain and across Europe and we can be proud of the result.
Updated
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11:50
Holly Watt
The sun in shining in Clacton, Essex, and the mood in Ukip’s heartland is just as upbeat.
In the seaside town’s centre, Rob Blyth, 53, said he was delighted by the vote.
“I don’t want to sound racist, but I think there are just too many people coming into the country. I moved out here from Dagenham four years ago, because Dagenham was looking like a foreign country.”
Blyth, who works on the London Underground, said that many people had moved out to Clacton from London, but “there was nowhere further for them to go now”.
“Dagenham just became a dumping ground,” said Blyth. “They weren’t doing it to Surrey, just Dagenham. People have had enough.”
Joe Liff, 67, said he was very pleased by the result of the vote.
He was also concerned about immigration.
“The thing is, it’s like if you’ve got the Hilton hotel and a greasy spoon caff,” said the pensioner. “We’re the Hilton and Bulgaria’s the greasy spoon, so of course they all want to come here.”
Jackie Collins, 53, housewife said she was “shocked” the country had voted for Brexit.
“I didn’t think we’d actually do it. I think that’s how a lot of people feel shocked by it. I’m pleased though, I’m pleased for Britain.”
Watching her grandchildren play in the fountains, she said it was important for their generation.
“I think it’s going to be tough for a while. I haven’t got a clue what happens next,” she said. “I did it for my grandchildren. I think my age range will suffer, but it will be better for them.”
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11.44am BST
11:44
Jennifer Rankin
The president of the European commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, has rejected suggestions that Brexit will trigger the end of the European Union. Asked whether British withdrawal would bring the end of the EU, he gave a one-word answer: “No.” Officials at the press conference burst into applause.
Juncker stressed the British government must start negotiations to terminate Britain’s relationship with the EU “as soon as possible, however painful that process might be”. But it is not obvious that the EU has any legal means to compel the UK to start negotiations, under the article 50 procedure.
“I expect France and Germany to take a very clear position, as it is clear and obvious to everyone that this situation of unertainty that we are in now cannot last too long. We have to speed things up.”
The veteran EU leader was speaking after a meeting with the EU’s other three presidents: Donald Tusk of the European council, Martin Schulz of the European parliament and the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, who is chairing the EU’s rotating presidency.
Juncker said he was “personally sad” about the UK’s decision to leave, but insisted Europe would stand strong and united.
“This is an unprecedented situation but we are united in our response. We will stand strong and uphold the EU’s core values of promoting peace and the well-being of its peoples.”
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11:42
Now it’s German chancellor Angela Merkel’s turn to react. “There is no way around it. This is a blow to Europe,” she says.
“What happens in the next days, months, years - will depend on what we, the remaining 27 EU nations are able and willing to do.”
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11.39am BST
11:39
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, has said: “The British people have expressed their wish to leave. We regret this decision but respect it.”
.@JunckerEU "The British people have expressed their wish to leave. We regret this decision but respect it" #EURef pic.twitter.com/zAMN7LCKQw
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Sturgeon says a second independence referendum is “highly likely”. She wants to explore all options to stay in the EU.
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Sturgeon says the option of a second Scottish independence referendum is on the table. There are many people who voted against independence who are reassessing their decision in the light of vote to leave the EU, Sturgeon says.
She adds: “My priority will be to act in the best interest of Scotland. I’m proud of Scotland and how we voted yesterday. We said clearly we don’t want to leave the European Union.”
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11.31am BST
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Sturgeon says she intends to explore all means possible of maintaining Scotland’s place in the EU. She has called for an urgent meeting with the president of the European commission.
Sturgeon says she has talked to the London mayor, Sadiq Khan, who shares her views about London’s place in the EU.
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11.28am BST
11:28
Nicola Sturgeon is now giving her reaction. She says the vote in favour in Scotland was “significant” as it came after positive case for immigration. The vote is a sign of divergence between Scotland and the rest of the UK, she adds.
She says taking the UK out of the EU against the will of Scots is “democratically unacceptable”.
Brexit represents a material change to the terms under which Scotland voted against independence.
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11.24am BST11.24am BST
11:2411:24
The president of the EU commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, says there will be no re-negotiation on Britain’s membership of the EU.The president of the EU commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, says there will be no re-negotiation on Britain’s membership of the EU.
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11:2211:22
Michael Gove also pays tribute to Cameron, who he says should be remembered as a “great prime minister”.Michael Gove also pays tribute to Cameron, who he says should be remembered as a “great prime minister”.
He says the vote to leave is the start to a process. Officials and diplomats can start to scope out the best possible terms for Britain, Gove says.He says the vote to leave is the start to a process. Officials and diplomats can start to scope out the best possible terms for Britain, Gove says.
Britain is embarking on a new chapter that is inline with its traditions of openness and tolerance, Gove insists.Britain is embarking on a new chapter that is inline with its traditions of openness and tolerance, Gove insists.
Our liberal democratic tradition are being renewed, Gove adds.Our liberal democratic tradition are being renewed, Gove adds.
“Britain can move forward in the spirit of the warm, humane and generous values that are the best of Britain,” Gove says.“Britain can move forward in the spirit of the warm, humane and generous values that are the best of Britain,” Gove says.
11.17am BST
11:17
Johnson says he agrees with Cameron’s decision not to immediately invoke article 50 to leave the EU. He says the EU is no longer right for this country. He claims young people can look forward to a prosperous future if we take back control from the EU.
He adds:
Above all we can find our voice in the world again. Powerful, liberal, humane, an extraordinary force for good. Yesterday the British people have spoken up for democracy.
11.13am BST
11:13
Boris Johnson pays tribute to Cameron as a “brave and principled man” and praised his “compassionate Conservatism”. He also thanked Cameron for holding a referendum. He said holding the referendum was “right and inevitable”. It was about the right of people to elect people who make key decisions in their lives. “They have decided to vote to take back control,” he said.
11.10am BST
11:10
Vote Leave is holding a press conference. Vote Leave’s chair, Gisela Stuart, pledges that Britain will remain a good neighbour.
Updated
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11:09
Henry McDonald
Martin McGuinness has warned that the impact of Brexit would be “very profound” for Northern Ireland.
The Sinn Féin deputy first minister of Northern Ireland said David Cameron had been “tow-towing” to the “little Englander mentality” and yet people in Northern Ireland both from the unionist and nationalist community had voted against that.
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11.07am BST
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Maev Kennedy
John Kampfner, former New Statesman editor and now chief executive of the Creative Industries Federation – whose members overwhelmingly backed remain, has pledged it will now do a bit of necessary bridge building.
He said: “Within the UK, we will play our part in helping to bridge divides within and between the nations and regions of the country.
“It will be vital for all sides to work together to ensure that the interests of our sector on issues including access to funding and talent are safeguarded as the UK forges its new relationship with Europe. The importance of British culture in representing our country to the world will be greater than ever.”
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11:04
Here’s a regional breakdown of the result.
10.59am BST
10:59
Frances Perraudin
In the village of Birstall a handful of people were paying their respects at the memorial to Jo Cox in the village square, just around the corner from where she was killed a week ago.
The area of Kirklees, which includes Cox’s constituency of Batley and Spen, voted to leave by 55.7% on a 71% turnout, slightly lower than surrounding areas Wakefield (66.4%) and Barnsley (68.3%).
Michelle Victor, 33, who works in HR for the NHS, said she knew people who changed the way they voted because of the MP’s murder, feeling they would be associating themselves with her attacker if they voted to leave. “People would have thought long and hard when making their decision, but we are where we are,” she said.
“[Jo Cox] would be incredibly disappointed, but she would have been out there for the community, working as she always did to bring us all together, because – even though this is a traditional Pennine area – there are diverse communities and different views.”
Ismail Rhjah, a 33-year-old technical engineer, said he helped Cox’s campaign on various issues in the area and that she often visited his mosque and his cricket club. He said he felt let down and disappointed by the result. “This is something that Jo felt very strongly about and she would have been let down as well. I was hoping that England would be behind us, in sympathy with Jo and what she wanted.”
Another woman, who asked not to be named, said that the result and the resignation of David Cameron was the best thing that had ever happened to the UK. “I hope it’ll be George Osborne next,” she said.
She added that while some may have decided to vote in accordance with Cox’s wishes, many in the area were already set on voting to leave. “The way you vote is very personal and everybody does what they think is best for themselves and their families.”
A handful of mourners at the Jo Cox memorial in Birstall. One says he had hoped "England would be behind us". pic.twitter.com/Levs3sfDKs
Updated
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10.57am BST
10:57
The Welsh first minister, Carwyn Jones, has said he wants a place within the team that will negotiate the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. He expressed deep concerns that Welsh jobs would be at risk and was gloomy about the future of the UK.
Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones - time to unite, to think clearly. https://t.co/7c4v2baoJ9
Seventeen of the 22 Welsh local authority areas voted for out including heartland Labour places such as the south Wales valleys. Jones said the timing – just six weeks after an assembly election - had been “impossible”.
He said people on the doorstep had told him that they were making a stand against the Tories in Westminster. “The EU has become a proxy for the anger of the people, the anger they feel is about job security, casualisation of the workforce, having jobs with no pension, not having union recognition. These are all issues that are controlled from London.”
Jones is no huge fan of Labour’s national leader, Jeremy Corbyn, but he absolved him of blame.
He said: “It is too early for anyone to fully analyse why the country voted the way it did last night – but one thing is obvious. Areas of Wales and England that contain post-industrial communities, often deprived communities, voted out – even though they had often benefited massively from European funding. Even though those communities voted for parties in May who supported a remain vote. Too many people in these communities feel that politics, and our economy, has left them behind, and we have a real task ahead to undo that sense of alienation.”
Jones also accepted that fears about immigration were a factor. “A message had been given to [voters] that their job security was a result of immigration. They believed it.”
Speaking in the Welsh capital, Jones said he wanted a place on the top negotiating team. “We have to get the best deal for Wales … I would not trust the UK government to do all this themselves.”
An avid unionist, he sounded gloomy on the prospects of the UK staying together. “As to the future, it’s very difficult to predict,” he said. The first minister said his number one priority was protecting Welsh jobs. “It’s right to say it is more difficult now to attract investment into Wales.”
After protecting jobs, Jones said his priorities were:
Updated
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10.53am BST
10:53
Philip Oltermann
The German foreign minister, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has invited his counterparts from the six founding members of the EU – France, Germany Belgium, Holland, Italy, Luxembourg – to Berlin for an emergency summit tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Elmar Brok, a German MEP, CDU member, and chairman of the European parliament committee on foreign affairs, told the Guardian that the European parliament would call on Jean-Claude Juncker to strip the British commissioner Jonathan Hill of his financial services brief with immediate effect and turn him into a “commissioner without portfolio”.
“We will need to have classical divorce negotiations as you do it in real life. They will have to negotiate from the position of a third country, not as a member state. If Britain wants to have a similar status to Switzerland and Norway, then it will also have to pay into EU structural funds like those countries do. The British public will find out what that means.”
Updated
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10.49am BST
10:49
Henry McDonald
Arlene Foster, the first minister of Northern Ireland, has expressed her delight at the Brexit outcome.
The Democratic Unionist leader said: “I think this is a good result for the United Kingdom. Our nation state has made a clear definition as to where they want to go forward. They backed hope, they backed aspiration, they backed the future potential of the United Kingdom and I’m very pleased with the result.”
Foster said she was “proud” of Northern Ireland, although it has to be stressed again that the region voted by a majority of 54% to 46% in favour of remaining inside the EU.
With her partner in government Martin McGuinness, the Sinn Féin deputy first minister, today demanding a poll on the future of Northern Ireland within the UK, it will be interesting to see how the two leaders continue to hold together the power-sharing government in Belfast.
Updated
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