This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2016/jun/24/eu-referendum-brexit-live-europe-leave-remain-britain
The article has changed 20 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 7 | Version 8 |
|---|---|
| EU referendum live: Britain counts cost of Brexit vote | EU referendum live: Britain counts cost of Brexit vote |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 5.41pm BST | |
| 17:41 | |
| A desperate scramble for EU passports is under way after Britain voted to leave the union. There has been a spike in the number of online searches for “getting an Irish passport”, and some European citizens publicly offered themselves – probably jokingly – in marriage, my colleague Luke Harding reports. | |
| Related: Brexit vote sparks scramble for European passports | |
| 5.41pm BST | |
| 17:41 | |
| Hannah Ellis-Petersen | |
| “That’s it, I think we should declare Glastonbury an independent nation-state.” As word of the referendum results slowly rippled across the festival campsite on Friday morning, bleary-eyed campers grappled both with hangovers and the realisation that they were unzipping their tents to a UK changed forever. And for the many of the 180,000 ticket-holders who were firmly in the Remain camp, talk soon jokingly turned to ‘Glexit’. | |
| It was a noticeably sombre mood that gripped Worthy Farm as the first acts of the festivals took to the stage under darkening clouds. The 50-piece Syrian National Orchestra for Arabic Music, accompanied by Blur frontman and founder of African express project Damon Albarn, opened the Other Stage. Albarn did not mince his words as he spoke of his anger at the referendum results. | |
| “I have a heavy heart today,” he said to the gathered crowds. “Democracy has failed us. Democracy has failed us because it was ill informed. And I want all of you to know that when we all leave here, we can change that decision. It is possible.” | |
| It was a strangely uplifting performance, as the audience were reminded there are places in the world worse to be even than a broken Britain. | |
| “It’s really emotional. It suddenly brings it all to the front of your mind how united we should be, when you consider what these people from Syria are going through,” said Tanya Chesworth. | |
| “That made my Glastonbury. It’s brought unity after what we have woken up to,” said Mitch Pendered who lives in Switzerland but comes from Devon and voted remain. | |
| The political mood also gripped other stages. As Novelist, the grime artist, took to the stage he started up a rousing chant of “Fuck David Cameron”, while the guitarist from rock band James told the crowd: “It is with incredible sadness that we stand here today, unified in sadness that our country has turned on people. Fuck them!” | |
| “It’s like Yugoslavia without the bombs, a country disintegrating,” said Robert Smith from Swindon. | |
| Spirits were also not lifted by the weather, which by midday had turned to torrential rain and did little to improve the treacherously muddy conditions underfoot. | |
| The Other Stage was almost an hour late opening and logistical difficulties meant the controversial women-only Sisterhood stage, which was due to host various female-led performances and even a twerking workshop, was still not open on Friday. | |
| The seismic referendum aftermath also led to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn pulling out of his appearance at the Left Field tent on Sunday, with a spokesperson saying he was focusing on “momentous” results. | |
| Nonetheless, Corbyn’s continued popularity with young voters was re-affirmed as mere mention of his name in the tent prompted a huge cheer. | |
| And while many festival-goers tried to focus their efforts on forgetting politics for the rest of the weekend, throwing themselves into watching acts such as Skepta, Sigur Ros and headliners Muse, the Left Field remained a hive of heated political discussion. | |
| Speaking before his performance Glastonbury stalwart Billy Bragg offered a call to arms to the young generation, the majority of whom voted to stay in the EU. Admitting he had not voted when he first got the vote in 1979, Bragg said now was not the time for political apathy. | |
| “My guess is there’s a lot of young people who woke up this morning thinking ‘there’s absolutely no way this country would be so stupid to vote us out’,” he said. “You probably thought there’s no point in going to the polling station, I’ll let someone else do that. I’m not here to condemn them, after I made the mistake I got stuck into the fight. So now it’s your job to get stuck in.” | |
| A message echoed by Clive Lewis, Labour MP for Norfolk South who called for “progressives” to “rebuild”, “be resolute” and help him make the world know that “the England Nigel Farage represents is not the UK I want to be part of”. | |
| 5.38pm BST | |
| 17:38 | |
| Momentum, the Labour organisation for Jeremy Corbyn supporters, has started an online petition supporting him. This is from James Schneider, Momentum’s national organiser. | |
| This is a time for Labour to be united.Sign our petition for unity and in support of the leadership: https://t.co/2cr1Zkbzqz | |
| 5.32pm BST | |
| 17:32 | |
| Hodge says EU referendum was a 'test of leadership' and Corbyn failed | |
| The Labour MP Dame Margaret Hodge has told Sky News that she is is tabling a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn because the EU referendum was a “test of leadership” and Corbyn failed. | |
| The European referendum was a test of leadership and I think Jeremy failed that test. He came out too slowly, he was very half-hearted about his attempts to campaign and Labour voters simply didn’t get the message. I hope, in the context of a secret ballot, that there will be overwhelming support for this motion I am putting and Jeremy will do the decent thing and resign. | |
| Some other Labour MPs have backed the move. | |
| Chris Leslie, the former shadow chancellor, said: | |
| Every MP is going to have to search their conscience about it but I think I would need an awful lot of persuading to have confidence in Jeremy’s leadership going into a general election. | |
| Caroline Flint, the former minister, said: | |
| The truth is that Jeremy’s leadership doesn’t seem to be reaching out to those parts of Britain, those parts of the Labour vote we depend on to win a general election. | |
| Ann Coffey, who has seconded Hodge’s proposal for a no-confidence motion, said Corbyn needed to take responsibility for what had happened in the referendum. | |
| [Corbyn] needs to know that a substantial number of the parliamentary party have no confidence in his leadership and he needs to consider that and consider whether it is tenable to be leader when his parliamentary party does not support him. | |
| Updated | |
| at 5.34pm BST | |
| 5.20pm BST | |
| 17:20 | |
| Sir John Major, the former Conservative prime minister, has told the BBC that David Cameron was right to announce that he is standing down. | |
| I think it’s very sad that David has decided he has to go. I think he made the right decision. I think he had no choice. | |
| Major praised Cameron for his achievements with the economy. | |
| I think when people look back on his premiership they will see quite a few things. | |
| Upon the day he became prime minister our economy was on the precipice, our banks were very close to collapse, and the forecast was dire. We now have one of the strongest economies, our banks are much better prepared now than ever before to face any of the difficulties that will lie ahead, and I think that is very much to David Cameron’s credit. | |
| Major also said that Cameron’s social agenda had been “very progressive” and that introducing marriage equality was a major change. | |
| Many people didn’t like it, but there were many others who felt life was very harsh about their personal preferences, who will look back and say he brought a breath of fresh air and freedom to our lives that we hadn’t had before. I think that is a very remarkable record, and I think he’ll be remembered for it. | |
| 5.10pm BST | 5.10pm BST |
| 17:10 | 17:10 |
| 12 unions leaders tell Labour MPs not to try to depose Corbyn | 12 unions leaders tell Labour MPs not to try to depose Corbyn |
| The main trade unions affiliated to Labour have put out a joint statement saying MPs should not try to depose Jeremy Corbyn. The statement does not actually mention Corbyn by name, but it says a “manufactured leadership row” would be an indulgence the party cannot afford. | The main trade unions affiliated to Labour have put out a joint statement saying MPs should not try to depose Jeremy Corbyn. The statement does not actually mention Corbyn by name, but it says a “manufactured leadership row” would be an indulgence the party cannot afford. |
| It says: | It says: |
| The prime minister’s resignation has triggered a Tory leadership crisis. At the very time we need politicians to come together for the common good, the Tory party is plunging into a period of argument and infighting. | The prime minister’s resignation has triggered a Tory leadership crisis. At the very time we need politicians to come together for the common good, the Tory party is plunging into a period of argument and infighting. |
| In the absence of a government that puts the people first Labour must unite as a source of national stability and unity. It should focus on speaking up for jobs and workers’ rights under threat, and on challenging any attempt to use the referendum result to introduce a more right-wing Tory government by the back door. | In the absence of a government that puts the people first Labour must unite as a source of national stability and unity. It should focus on speaking up for jobs and workers’ rights under threat, and on challenging any attempt to use the referendum result to introduce a more right-wing Tory government by the back door. |
| The last thing Labour needs is a manufactured leadership row of its own in the midst of this crisis and we call upon all Labour MPs not to engage in any such indulgence. | The last thing Labour needs is a manufactured leadership row of its own in the midst of this crisis and we call upon all Labour MPs not to engage in any such indulgence. |
| The statement is signed by the general secretaries of 12 unions: Len McCluskey, Unite, Dave Prentis, Unison, Tim Roache, GMB, Dave Ward, Communication Workers Union, Brian Rye, Ucatt, Manuel Cortes, Transport Salaried Staffs Association, Mick Whelan, Aslef, Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union, John Smith, Musicians’ Union, Gerry Morrissey, Bectu, Ronnie Draper, BFAWU, Chris Kitchen, National Union of Mineworkers. | The statement is signed by the general secretaries of 12 unions: Len McCluskey, Unite, Dave Prentis, Unison, Tim Roache, GMB, Dave Ward, Communication Workers Union, Brian Rye, Ucatt, Manuel Cortes, Transport Salaried Staffs Association, Mick Whelan, Aslef, Matt Wrack, Fire Brigades Union, John Smith, Musicians’ Union, Gerry Morrissey, Bectu, Ronnie Draper, BFAWU, Chris Kitchen, National Union of Mineworkers. |
| 5.04pm BST | 5.04pm BST |
| 17:04 | 17:04 |
| The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), the pro-Brexit leftwing group, has put out a statement calling for an early general election. This is from its chair, the former Labour MP Dave Nellist. | The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), the pro-Brexit leftwing group, has put out a statement calling for an early general election. This is from its chair, the former Labour MP Dave Nellist. |
| TUSC opposes the EU as an ‘employers union’, implementing Thatcherism on a continental scale, and we welcome the decisive rejection of it in the referendum. | TUSC opposes the EU as an ‘employers union’, implementing Thatcherism on a continental scale, and we welcome the decisive rejection of it in the referendum. |
| This was a revolt against a system that is not delivering for the majority of working class people and many middle class people too. | This was a revolt against a system that is not delivering for the majority of working class people and many middle class people too. |
| But Britain’s political and economic establishment no more defends the interests of the majority than the EU does and the vote for change that was expressed in Thursday’s poll will not be met by replacing one ex-Eton schoolboy with another. | But Britain’s political and economic establishment no more defends the interests of the majority than the EU does and the vote for change that was expressed in Thursday’s poll will not be met by replacing one ex-Eton schoolboy with another. |
| The labour and trade union movement must follow up this massive vote of no confidence in the Tory government and demand a general election now. | The labour and trade union movement must follow up this massive vote of no confidence in the Tory government and demand a general election now. |
| 5.01pm BST | 5.01pm BST |
| 17:01 | 17:01 |
| Owen Bowcott | Owen Bowcott |
| Loss of UK sovereignty was one of the Brexiters’ chief complaints in the referendum campaign and their resentment of foreign laws was aimed squarely at the European court of justice in Luxembourg. So now that the UK has voted to leave the EU what happens next? | Loss of UK sovereignty was one of the Brexiters’ chief complaints in the referendum campaign and their resentment of foreign laws was aimed squarely at the European court of justice in Luxembourg. So now that the UK has voted to leave the EU what happens next? |
| The EU’s highest court, whose rulings are currently binding on British judges and parliament, became the object of venomous rhetoric during the campaign. Those attacks may now intensify. | The EU’s highest court, whose rulings are currently binding on British judges and parliament, became the object of venomous rhetoric during the campaign. Those attacks may now intensify. |
| The justice secretary and leave campaigner, Michael Gove, denounced the Luxembourg court as a vehicle for giving the EU “more power and reach than ever before”. | |
| Boris Johnson’s wife, Marina Wheeler QC, published an influential article in February entitled Cavalier with our Constitution criticising the “jurisdictional muscle-flexing of the court in Luxembourg” since the EU’s charter of fundamental rights came into force in 2009. The court, she added, acts “capriciously not judiciously”. | Boris Johnson’s wife, Marina Wheeler QC, published an influential article in February entitled Cavalier with our Constitution criticising the “jurisdictional muscle-flexing of the court in Luxembourg” since the EU’s charter of fundamental rights came into force in 2009. The court, she added, acts “capriciously not judiciously”. |
| And in a joint statement earlier this month, the leaders of Vote Leave pledged to “regain the power to deport terrorists and terrorist sympathisers and stop violent criminals entering the UK – powers that EU law currently denies to us.” | And in a joint statement earlier this month, the leaders of Vote Leave pledged to “regain the power to deport terrorists and terrorist sympathisers and stop violent criminals entering the UK – powers that EU law currently denies to us.” |
| They would, the Vote Leave leaders said, “immediately end the application of the EU’s charter of fundamental laws. This charter gives the rogue European court practically unlimited powers to extend its jurisdiction. By ending its application in UK law, we will take back control of how Britain implements the crucial 1951 UN convention on refugees and end the charter’s ability to affect immigration and asylum law.” | They would, the Vote Leave leaders said, “immediately end the application of the EU’s charter of fundamental laws. This charter gives the rogue European court practically unlimited powers to extend its jurisdiction. By ending its application in UK law, we will take back control of how Britain implements the crucial 1951 UN convention on refugees and end the charter’s ability to affect immigration and asylum law.” |
| One impact of the Brexit vote is that judgments from Luxembourg will eventually no longer apply to the UK. A judgment on bulk interception of communications data by GCHQ, the government’s monitoring agency, is due imminently. | One impact of the Brexit vote is that judgments from Luxembourg will eventually no longer apply to the UK. A judgment on bulk interception of communications data by GCHQ, the government’s monitoring agency, is due imminently. |
| But the impact could come before the end of the two-year process of Brexit renegotiation. In the aftermath of the leave vote, rulings could be challenged in parliament and by Eurosceptic lawyers even before the UK formally cuts its ties with Brussels. Those British judges already serving in Luxembourg are likely to stay in the court for their remaining period of service. | But the impact could come before the end of the two-year process of Brexit renegotiation. In the aftermath of the leave vote, rulings could be challenged in parliament and by Eurosceptic lawyers even before the UK formally cuts its ties with Brussels. Those British judges already serving in Luxembourg are likely to stay in the court for their remaining period of service. |
| And the consequences of the leave vote are likely to take years to work through, as MPs assess which elements of EU law should be preserved, and which rejected. The European arrest warrant is one of the continental law and order agreements that may have to be re-examined. London’s planned status as home to one of the main registries for a European unified patent court will now also be in doubt. | And the consequences of the leave vote are likely to take years to work through, as MPs assess which elements of EU law should be preserved, and which rejected. The European arrest warrant is one of the continental law and order agreements that may have to be re-examined. London’s planned status as home to one of the main registries for a European unified patent court will now also be in doubt. |
| Perhaps the biggest question for UK citizens though is what happens to the rights and legal protections that are currently afforded by EU membership. That is an open question that was barely touched on by the leave side during the campaign beyond broad statements of reassurance. | Perhaps the biggest question for UK citizens though is what happens to the rights and legal protections that are currently afforded by EU membership. That is an open question that was barely touched on by the leave side during the campaign beyond broad statements of reassurance. |
| Philip Kolvin QC of Cornerstone Barristers, who is an expert in licensing, said: “The consequences for our legal system have barely figured in [the debate]. But EU-inspired or mandated legislation is part of the bedrock of societal protection. Are these protections to be thrown onto a bonfire of laws? If not, which are to survive and which are to be replaced, and if so by what?” | Philip Kolvin QC of Cornerstone Barristers, who is an expert in licensing, said: “The consequences for our legal system have barely figured in [the debate]. But EU-inspired or mandated legislation is part of the bedrock of societal protection. Are these protections to be thrown onto a bonfire of laws? If not, which are to survive and which are to be replaced, and if so by what?” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 5.45pm BST | |
| 4.46pm BST | 4.46pm BST |
| 16:46 | 16:46 |
| My colleague Ewen MacAskill has joined the (very, very long, and mostly honourable) list of people who have been insulted by Donald Trump. | My colleague Ewen MacAskill has joined the (very, very long, and mostly honourable) list of people who have been insulted by Donald Trump. |
| It goes without saying that Trump is wrong. | It goes without saying that Trump is wrong. |
| Funny thing is this exchange was w/@ewenmacaskill, an awesome reporter who may literally be the nicest guy in media. https://t.co/RKR7RIHJXp | Funny thing is this exchange was w/@ewenmacaskill, an awesome reporter who may literally be the nicest guy in media. https://t.co/RKR7RIHJXp |
| 4.39pm BST | 4.39pm BST |
| 16:39 | 16:39 |
| Europeans working in London have reacted to the referendum results with shock. | Europeans working in London have reacted to the referendum results with shock. |
| 4.34pm BST | 4.34pm BST |
| 16:34 | 16:34 |
| Groups of 16 and 17-year-olds have been outside Downing Street protesting about the result, my colleague Ione Wells reports. | Groups of 16 and 17-year-olds have been outside Downing Street protesting about the result, my colleague Ione Wells reports. |
| Many displayed banners saying, “where was our vote” and “it’s our future”. Several of the teenagers quoted the other rights they have at 16 and referenced the Scottish referendum, asking why they were not allowed to vote in a decision that would have a “huge impact on our futures”. | Many displayed banners saying, “where was our vote” and “it’s our future”. Several of the teenagers quoted the other rights they have at 16 and referenced the Scottish referendum, asking why they were not allowed to vote in a decision that would have a “huge impact on our futures”. |
| “We are out here today, which shows we have political beliefs and know how to express them,” one said. Another commented how she believed the result could have been significantly different were 16-year-olds allowed to vote, citing the 75% of 18-35 year olds who voted to remain. | “We are out here today, which shows we have political beliefs and know how to express them,” one said. Another commented how she believed the result could have been significantly different were 16-year-olds allowed to vote, citing the 75% of 18-35 year olds who voted to remain. |
| Ben, 26, sitting outside the gates of Downing Street protesting against the result, said: | Ben, 26, sitting outside the gates of Downing Street protesting against the result, said: |
| I should have been here a week ago, well, not here in London. We won comfortably here – but elsewhere, further afield, now I feel like we are all living with the result of not doing more while we could. | I should have been here a week ago, well, not here in London. We won comfortably here – but elsewhere, further afield, now I feel like we are all living with the result of not doing more while we could. |
| He told the Guardian that for him the referendum “was not about economics, or migration, alone. It is about the sort of society, world and Europe that I wanted Britain to help create and maintain in the future”. | He told the Guardian that for him the referendum “was not about economics, or migration, alone. It is about the sort of society, world and Europe that I wanted Britain to help create and maintain in the future”. |
| Ultimately, he said, he was very disappointed that the result was largely due to fears of immigration. “That makes me very sad,” he continued, “because endless studies have shown that migrants contribute more than they take out.” | Ultimately, he said, he was very disappointed that the result was largely due to fears of immigration. “That makes me very sad,” he continued, “because endless studies have shown that migrants contribute more than they take out.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.56pm BST | at 4.56pm BST |
| 4.18pm BST | 4.18pm BST |
| 16:18 | 16:18 |
| Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, used a speech earlier today to launch a strong attack on Jeremy Corbyn’s conduct during the election campaign. | Tim Farron, the Lib Dem leader, used a speech earlier today to launch a strong attack on Jeremy Corbyn’s conduct during the election campaign. |
| With politicians of all parties working together, one of the things that stood out in this campaign, was Jeremy Corbyn’s bizarre refusal to share a platform in the face of the greatest challenge our country was faced in a generation. | With politicians of all parties working together, one of the things that stood out in this campaign, was Jeremy Corbyn’s bizarre refusal to share a platform in the face of the greatest challenge our country was faced in a generation. |
| I have stood alongside Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman, Chukka Umunna, Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan. | I have stood alongside Gordon Brown, Harriet Harman, Chukka Umunna, Andy Burnham and Sadiq Khan. |
| Great progressive Labour politicians that I admire – forced to campaign with their hands tied behind their back because of short-sighted demands from their leader’s office. | Great progressive Labour politicians that I admire – forced to campaign with their hands tied behind their back because of short-sighted demands from their leader’s office. |
| Where was the leader of that party? | Where was the leader of that party? |
| Even when the future of our country depended on him, he could not bring himself to reach across the aisle. | Even when the future of our country depended on him, he could not bring himself to reach across the aisle. |
| When the call went out for help, Jeremy Corbyn refused to answer. | When the call went out for help, Jeremy Corbyn refused to answer. |
| The once-proud working class Labour vote has abandoned Corbyn in droves. | The once-proud working class Labour vote has abandoned Corbyn in droves. |
| Great Labour cities have been driven into the arms of Ukip and Nigel Farage. | Great Labour cities have been driven into the arms of Ukip and Nigel Farage. |
| It is clearer than ever that Jermyn Corbyn has more concern for his own position in his own party, rather than his country. | It is clearer than ever that Jermyn Corbyn has more concern for his own position in his own party, rather than his country. |
| Farron also urged people who wanted “a new modern breed of politics – liberal, hopeful, international, rational – driven by real British values” to join the Lib Dems. | Farron also urged people who wanted “a new modern breed of politics – liberal, hopeful, international, rational – driven by real British values” to join the Lib Dems. |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.24pm BST | at 4.24pm BST |
| 4.08pm BST | 4.08pm BST |
| 16:08 | 16:08 |
| Labour says government should abandon its budget surplus target | Labour says government should abandon its budget surplus target |
| John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has put out a statement saying the EU referendum vote represents “a decisive rejection of the Conservative’s economic policy, resulting in stagnant real wages for a decade and widespread disaffection where people have not shared in prosperity”. He said the government should abandon its budget surplus target for 2019-20, launch an investment programme and give up plans to have an emergency austerity budget. | John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, has put out a statement saying the EU referendum vote represents “a decisive rejection of the Conservative’s economic policy, resulting in stagnant real wages for a decade and widespread disaffection where people have not shared in prosperity”. He said the government should abandon its budget surplus target for 2019-20, launch an investment programme and give up plans to have an emergency austerity budget. |
| He said: | He said: |
| Labour will not allow any instability to be paid for by the working people of this country. There is no justification or mandate whatsoever for an emergency austerity budget. We need a clear programme of action to protect our economy. | Labour will not allow any instability to be paid for by the working people of this country. There is no justification or mandate whatsoever for an emergency austerity budget. We need a clear programme of action to protect our economy. |
| 4.01pm BST | 4.01pm BST |
| 16:01 | 16:01 |
| Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, is speaking to journalists in Washington. | Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, is speaking to journalists in Washington. |
| She says it will take some time to work out what the UK’s relationship with the EU will be. And she welcomes the moves taken by the Bank of England today to assure the markets, she says. | She says it will take some time to work out what the UK’s relationship with the EU will be. And she welcomes the moves taken by the Bank of England today to assure the markets, she says. |
| 3.58pm BST | 3.58pm BST |
| 15:58 | 15:58 |
| Arthur Neslen | Arthur Neslen |
| EU climate change officials are calling for an early signal of intent from a post-Brexit UK government that it will remain committed to joint European action on global warming. | EU climate change officials are calling for an early signal of intent from a post-Brexit UK government that it will remain committed to joint European action on global warming. |
| Of particular interest for Europe is whether the UK shows it is still attached to last year’s Paris climate deal, the 2020 climate targets and, above all, the bloc’s carbon market, the Emissions Trading System (ETS). | Of particular interest for Europe is whether the UK shows it is still attached to last year’s Paris climate deal, the 2020 climate targets and, above all, the bloc’s carbon market, the Emissions Trading System (ETS). |
| Committing to stay in the ETS, as non-EU countries Switzerland and Norway have done, would demonstrate that the new UK government was prepared to honour existing international agreements, sources say. | Committing to stay in the ETS, as non-EU countries Switzerland and Norway have done, would demonstrate that the new UK government was prepared to honour existing international agreements, sources say. |
| “It is not impossible to imagine that kind of overture coming from the British side,” one senior official told the Guardian. “Everything is going to be a political football now, and it is just whether we play nicely with climate policy or not. There are mutual benefits to playing nicely.” | “It is not impossible to imagine that kind of overture coming from the British side,” one senior official told the Guardian. “Everything is going to be a political football now, and it is just whether we play nicely with climate policy or not. There are mutual benefits to playing nicely.” |
| The UK is unlikely to renege on carbon emissions reduction targets for 2020 that it has already substantially met. But the country is lagging on renewable energy goals and has credible enforcement mechanisms to rectify that have just disappeared. | The UK is unlikely to renege on carbon emissions reduction targets for 2020 that it has already substantially met. But the country is lagging on renewable energy goals and has credible enforcement mechanisms to rectify that have just disappeared. |
| 3.52pm BST | 3.52pm BST |
| 15:52 | 15:52 |
| Andrew Sparrow | Andrew Sparrow |
| Good afternoon. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Haroon. | Good afternoon. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Haroon. |
| The American ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun, has been tweeting about the referendum result. | The American ambassador to London, Matthew Barzun, has been tweeting about the referendum result. |
| Well, it’s been a big day…and as @POTUS says, our unmatched & unbreakable #SpecialRelationship will endure. https://t.co/cmOp7Gy0Xr | Well, it’s been a big day…and as @POTUS says, our unmatched & unbreakable #SpecialRelationship will endure. https://t.co/cmOp7Gy0Xr |
| 3.49pm BST | 3.49pm BST |
| 15:49 | 15:49 |
| Alice Ross | Alice Ross |
| The commuter town of Watford was England’s most divided town last night, voting to leave the EU by a majority of just 252 votes. | The commuter town of Watford was England’s most divided town last night, voting to leave the EU by a majority of just 252 votes. |
| Local politicians describe a fractious campaign season in a town that has a long history as a bellwether, switching between Tory and Labour MPs. Ahsan Khan, a Labour councillor, said that it was “probably the most representative population in the country”, with a mix of commuters and those who work locally, and an immigrant population that is “not huge, but not small either”. He said he had suspected in recent weeks that the town would vote to leave: “We probably didn’t realise soon enough that we need to work harder.” | Local politicians describe a fractious campaign season in a town that has a long history as a bellwether, switching between Tory and Labour MPs. Ahsan Khan, a Labour councillor, said that it was “probably the most representative population in the country”, with a mix of commuters and those who work locally, and an immigrant population that is “not huge, but not small either”. He said he had suspected in recent weeks that the town would vote to leave: “We probably didn’t realise soon enough that we need to work harder.” |
| The local campaign was “polarised” and “passionate”, local Lib Dem councillor Stephen Johnson said. “One of my colleagues was spat at twice on a street stall. It brought out quite a lot of intolerance. It was quite bad-tempered.” | The local campaign was “polarised” and “passionate”, local Lib Dem councillor Stephen Johnson said. “One of my colleagues was spat at twice on a street stall. It brought out quite a lot of intolerance. It was quite bad-tempered.” |
| But not for everybody. Sheltering in the shopping mall from yet another downpour with their five-week-old baby, Andrea Garcia and her husband Dominic said that they had backed opposite sides. “In the last few days we were talking about it,” Andrea said, but there were “no arguments”. | But not for everybody. Sheltering in the shopping mall from yet another downpour with their five-week-old baby, Andrea Garcia and her husband Dominic said that they had backed opposite sides. “In the last few days we were talking about it,” Andrea said, but there were “no arguments”. |
| On hearing the outcome, Dominic Garcia, an engineer, said: “I was – gutted’s not the word - but shocked that it’s happening.” He was concerned about “backtracking” by leave-supporting politicians, he said, “especially about the £350m to the NHS. That was on the side of a bus and now it’s not going to happen.” | On hearing the outcome, Dominic Garcia, an engineer, said: “I was – gutted’s not the word - but shocked that it’s happening.” He was concerned about “backtracking” by leave-supporting politicians, he said, “especially about the £350m to the NHS. That was on the side of a bus and now it’s not going to happen.” |
| Updated | Updated |
| at 4.12pm BST | at 4.12pm BST |