UK Votes For Brexit

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There are only 3 out of 382 UK regions left to be counted before the official results are announced early Friday at around 6am GMT. So far the results show the 'Leave' camp firmly in the lead, with 17,114,552 votes counted for a Brexit, with 'Remain' now notably below with only 15,908,639 votes. The turnout has been around 72%.

Sterling has plunged massively on the vote count news breaking out, trading down some 10% on the day trading at $1.3407 as Brexit now seems a near certainty after a BBC forecast suggested a 52% win for 'Leave', and 48% for 'Remain'.

So far the data show Scotland and Northern Ireland have voted strongly for 'Remain', while Wales voted 'Leave'. Meanwhile, UKIP leader Nigel Farage said he "now dares to dream that the dawn is coming up on an independent United Kingdom."

Conservative MP and Leave campaigner Jacob Rees-Mogg told media that an early general election can not be ruled out if Britain votes to leave the EU.

When asked by BBC News if Prime Minister David Cameron should hold an early vote for a new mandate, he said: “I wouldn't rule out a new election altogether. It's complicated under the Fixed Term Parliament Act, but it's not impossible." Cameron has been among the top leaders campaigning for the Remain camp since the time he announced the EU referendum earlier this year.

Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell told BBC Radio 4 that the Bank of England will have to intervene or make a statement in the morning in order to calm down the markets in the face of the sliding value of the pound.

BBC News also quoted Declan Kearney, a Northern Ireland Assembly member for Sinn Féin, saying his party will push for a poll on whether Northern Ireland should stay in the UK or unite with the Republic of Ireland if the UK votes to leave the EU.

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