In pictures: UK votes in referendum
- Published
Millions of people have voted in a historic referendum on whether the UK should remain a member of the European Union or leave. Here we look back at the events in pictures.
The Remain campaign was expected to win, but it was the Leave supporters who celebrated as the early results came in.
London supporters of the Stronger In Campaign cheered as the first result, from Gibraltar, was announced.
But hours later, with the outcome still too close to call, supporters of the Stronger In campaign looked on as some results went against them.
London and Scotland voted strongly to stay in the EU but the remain vote has been undermined by poor results in the north of England. Voters in Wales and the English shires have backed Brexit in large numbers.
UKIP leader Nigel Farage - who has campaigned for the past 20 years for Britain to leave the EU - told supporters "this will be a victory for ordinary people, for decent people".
Speaking outside Number 10, David Cameron - accompanied by his wife Samantha - said the will of the British people must be respected and announced that he would step down as prime minister. He said there should be a new PM in place by the start of the Conservative Party conference in October.
Immediately after Mr Cameron's statement, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was asked by BBC 5 live how he would pay tribute to the prime minister. "I think the way he handled the Bloody Sunday inquiry and the way he handled the apology... I would praise him for that," he said.
Pro-Leave Conservative Boris Johnson made no comment as he left his London home where a large crowd had gathered. Journalists attempted to ask him questions but were drowned out by a sea of boos.
The UK has now voted to leave the European Union.
The referendum ballot paper asked the following question: "Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union", and despite the bad weather, turnout was high.
At 22:00 BST on Thursday at Manchester Town Hall, Jenny Watson, the chief counting officer for the EU Referendum, announced that polling had closed.
Across the country the votes were ferried to the counting centres.
The first boxes to make their way to the count were in Gibraltar, as the British territory is an hour ahead of the UK.
At Gibraltar University the validity of ballot papers was checked in the verification centre before counting began. The British territory was the first to officially declare a result, with 96% voting to Remain.
The ballot papers were counted at the 382 local counting areas, including this one in Sunderland.
When the area declared in the early hours of Friday the Leave campaign polled most votes as expected, though the margin of victory was larger than many predicted.
At 3.30am the Leave campaign was slightly ahead, the figures being projected onto the exterior of Broadcasting House in London.
The value of the pound fell dramatically as it emerged that the UK had voted to leave the EU. In Japan the Nikkei 225 Stock Average also fell, the figures seen here on the streets of the Japanese capital.
In Brussels, the words "Please Stay" was spelt out in flowers in front of an EU office.
Counts were held in all 32 Scottish council areas. Here in Glasgow the count was in full swing.
This counter at the Royal Horticultural Hall in London had a longer wait for the ballot boxes to arrive, however.
The outcome of the Northern Ireland poll was announced at the Titanic Exhibition Centre in Belfast. Electoral staff are spread across eight different count centres and have the task of counting the votes from more than 1,300 ballot boxes.
Members of political parties began counting ballots after the polling stations closed to try to gauge which way the vote had gone.
The final national result is officially declared at Manchester Town Hall.
Throughout the day of voting both sides were out trying to sway undecided voters.
This Vote Leave sign was on display near the Tata Steel works in Port Talbot.
Polling stations ranged from this pub in Carmarthenshire...
To a tent in the village of Carlton, Cambridgeshire.