The first results from the United Kingdom’s referendum on membership in the European Union are in, and the “Leave” side leads by almost 20,000 votes with 9 out of 382 districts reporting. “Leave” has also done better than expected in the early districts, making what was considered by most a remote possibility a more distinct one.
The sterling plummeted on news of the first “Leave” friendly vote, especially in Sunderland, which went almost 2 to 1 in favor of Leave:
As Stephanie Slade noted, bookmakers in the U.K. had odds in favor of “Remain” by 3 to 1.
Tyler Kotesky argued earlier today why Americans shouldn’t fear a “Leave” vote:
It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to free themselves from an ossified, undemocratic power structure. It’s a chance for the U.K. to look beyond the continent’s economic stagnation and embrace the rest of the world through free trade and fairer immigration. It’s also a chance to give other EU members a fighting chance at reforming their system. Americans should embrace all of that.
Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump landed in Scotland today to open a golf course. He is not expected to attend any political meetings but has media availability tomorrow at which he is expected to comment on the Brexit vote. Trump’s been supportive of the Leave vote before, but walked back his comments later. “I don’t think anybody should listen to me because I haven’t really focused on it very much,” he said on Fox Business Wednesday.
The weather was also exceedingly poor in London, which some BBC analysts say could depress the “Remain” vote. Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to exercise Article 50 if “Leave” wins the vote, triggering negotiations with the European Union on an exit for the United Kingdom.
We’ll have final results up on the blog later!
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