24.06.2016

News in English

Britain votes to leave the EU – Cameron to resign / Brexit vote hits financial markets / New Scottish independence referendum “likely” / EU leaders hold emergency talks in Brussels / Austria sees no “domino effect” / The weather

8. April 2017, 21:58

24.06.2016

Britain votes to leave the EU – Cameron to resign

Britain has voted to leave the European Union, forcing the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron who had campaigned to remain in the bloc. Cameron says he will stand down by October when his Conservative Party holds its annual conference: “I will do everything I can as Prime Minister to steady the ship over the coming weeks and months. But I do not think it would be right for me to try to be the captain that steers out country to its next destination.” Nigel Farage, the leader of the UK Independence Party, says the dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom: “It´s a victory for ordinary people, decent people. It´s a victory against the big merchant banks, against the big businesses and against big politics.”

Brexit vote hits financial markets

Global financial markets plunged as results from Thursday's referendum showed a near 52-48 percent split for leaving. The pound fell more than 10 percent against the dollar to levels last seen in 1985, its biggest one-day fall in history. European shares plummeted and stocks in Asia were also hard hit.

New Scottish independence referendum “likely”

All 32 electoral districts in Scotland voted to stay in the EU - a result that raises the spectre of a new referendum on Scottish independence. Northern Ireland also voted to remain. London was the only region in England to vote against a Brexit.

EU leaders hold emergency talks in Brussels

The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has been hosting emergency talks in Brussels with European Council President Donald Tusk, European Parliament President Martin Schulz and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency. The four are pledging a joint European position on the vote, which could see a member country leave the bloc for the first time ever, ahead of a summit of all 28 EU leaders in Brussels starting on Tuesday. Germany has announced it will host a meeting on Saturday in Berlin of the foreign ministers of the six European Union founding nations: Germany, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg. The deputy finance ministers of G7 nations are to hold a conference call shortly.

Austria sees no “domino effect”

The Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern says he does not fear a domino effect after the Brexit vote, and there will be no referendum in Austria. But populist leaders in France and the Netherlands have already demanded similar anti-EU votes.