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| Greek referendum: Osborne warns UK not immune from European turmoil – live | |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| 10.07am BST10:07 | |
| Polling stations in Greece are open until 7pm local time (5pm BST), but there are suggestions that they could stay open later if they run short of envelopes. | |
| Oxi or Nai? No or Yes on #Greek ballot paper today #Greferendum pic.twitter.com/rGkXNxBom3 | |
| If Greek polling stations run short of envelopes, polling might be delayed and even extended beyond planned 19:00 closure (16:00gmt) | |
| 9.58am BST09:58 | |
| Osborne warns UK not immune from European turmoil | |
| Polling stations in Greece opened nearly five hours ago. | |
| George Osborne, the UK chancellor, has just been asked how he would vote in the Greek referendum on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show. | |
| He refused to say how he would vote, saying: “We should respect Greek democracy,” noting that the country is the “home of democracy”. | |
| Osborne warned that the UK is not immune from European turmoil, but added that Britain was prepared for any eventuality. David Cameron, the UK prime minister, will meet with Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, on Monday to discuss the outcome of the Greek referendum and what it means for the rest of Europe. | |
| Whatever Greece decides, Britain is prepared. We have the plans in place whatever the outcome is. | |
| I don’t think anyone should be in doubt that the outcome has an impact on the European economy, which is all the more reason to keep our house in order. | |
| We all want Greece to prosper…but ultimately if you’re in the single currency there are rules you have to abide by. | |
| 9.50am BST09:50 | |
| Warning that potentially explosive moments lay ahead, the head of Greece’s orthodox communist party, KKE, Dimitris Koutsombas also called for unity, reports Helena Smith. | |
| “The workers’ class, with unity and alliance, must face whatever development, whether these lead to a new agreement, a guillotine essentially with tough measures or whether they lead to developments outside the euro, a double currency with our people being bankrupt.” | |
| The KKE has also urged supporters to reject creditors proposed reforms saying acceptance would lead to further pauperisation of Greeks. | |
| 9.47am BST09:47 | |
| Helena Smith | |
| Our correspondent in Athens, Helena Smith reports: | |
| By 10.30am the country’s entire political leadership had cast ballots. Voting in the central Athens district of Kypseli, prime minister Alexis Tsipras called the referendum a “day of celebration” for the crisis-hit country. | |
| Addressing a crush of reporters, amid loud cries of NO from supporters, Tsipras lashed out at the war of propaganda that had been waged in the week since he called had called the vote. | |
| “Democracy has defeated fear. The determination of the people will beat the propaganda of fear,” said the radical leftist who had openly campaigned for Greeks to vote no. “The people are sending a message. A government can be ignored but no one can ignore the desire of an entire people to take life in its hands. “ | |
| Earlier, Greece’s head of state, president Prokopis Pavlopoulos emphasised the need for national unity. The referendum, the second to take place in more than 40 years, comes amid escalating signs of ethnic division and fears of civil strife. | |
| “Irrespective of the result, we have to traverse what will be a difficult tomorrow with unity,” Pavlopoulos told reporters. “That is what our forefathers did. That si what we are going to do. We will go forward, all together.” | |
| Some 108,371 Greeks who have just turned 18 will vote for the first time, according to authorities. Of that number 55,206 are men and 53,165 women. Greek youth, very badly hit by unemployment, are expected in the main to vote no, pollsters say. | |
| 9.41am BST09:41 | |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| About 10 million Greeks are going to the polls on Sunday, to vote in a referendum that poses the biggest challenge to the euro since its adoption in 1999. We will bring you the latest news and developments throughout the day. | About 10 million Greeks are going to the polls on Sunday, to vote in a referendum that poses the biggest challenge to the euro since its adoption in 1999. We will bring you the latest news and developments throughout the day. |
| Prime minister Alexis Tsipras has urged Greeks to vote ‘Ochi’ or ‘No’ on whether to accept the bailout package drawn up with creditors, in the hope of securing a better deal. | Prime minister Alexis Tsipras has urged Greeks to vote ‘Ochi’ or ‘No’ on whether to accept the bailout package drawn up with creditors, in the hope of securing a better deal. |
| "I am optimistic" PM Tsipras says after voting #Greece pic.twitter.com/SEV6uF4exi | "I am optimistic" PM Tsipras says after voting #Greece pic.twitter.com/SEV6uF4exi |