Millions of Britons are heading to the polls to vote on whether UK
will remain a part of the European Union or not.
A record 46.5 million voters have signed up to weigh in on Thursday’s
referendum which asks, “Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the
European Union or leave the European Union?”
The divisive referendum has sparked the greatest emergency in the
EU’s 60-year history. The vote pits the Remain campaign, backed by British
Prime Minister David Cameron and Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbon, against the
Leave camp, led by the former London mayor, MP Boris Johnson.
Polling stations opened at 7 AM (06:00 GMT) and will close 10 PM
(21:00 GMT) local time. Rainstorms were expected to dampen turnout in London
and other parts of southern England. There are no official exit polls because
polling experts say the lack of recent comparable votes in Britain could make
the results less reliable. Results from polling will, however, be released
shortly after the ballots close.
Desperate to inject some pro-Europe passion late in the day on
Wednesday, the prime minister and his allies made appeals to older voters,
urging them to think of their children, rather than their own nostalgic views
of their country. However, there is concern about the divisive impact of the
campaign, in particular the pro-Brexit camp’s focus on immigration.
EU leaders have warned there will be no turning back from a vote
to quite the 28-member bloc. “Out is out,” European Commission chief
Jean-Claude Juncker said in Brussels, dismissing any chances of a post-vote
renegotiation of Britain’s EU membership terms.
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