Brexit: UK goes to polls; over 46 million people to decide Britain’s fate
London: Britain is set to go to the polls in a historic referendum on whether the country should remain a member of the European Union or leave.
More than 46 million people are eligible to vote in the referendum on June 23 to decide Britain’s fate regarding the union.
Britons were asked to choose whether the country should stay in the EU or leave in the first vote on Britain’s links with Europe for more than 40 years. Britain joined the EU in January 1973.
Prime Minister David Cameron invoked Britain’s wartime spirit in a last-ditch bid to win votes on Wednesday on the eve of a knife-edge referendum on European Union membership that has put the continent on alert.
PM David Cameron, Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn and Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron addressed rallies arguing Britain will be better off and safer with a ‘Remain’ vote in Thursday’s poll.
London Mayor Boris Johnson and UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage with the ex-London mayor appealed to the people to “believe in our country”.
EU leaders warned that leaving the 28-member bloc would be final, as two polls indicated the “Leave” camp was just ahead of “Remain”.
As planes with banners from the rival campaigns flew over London to woo the undecided, two polls showed the
Record numbers of voters have registered for the ballot, and Taylor emphasised the result could all come down to turnout.
A Brexit vote would mean Britain would be the first country to leave the European Union in the bloc’s 60-year history, leaving it in uncharted waters at an already troubled time.
French President Francois Hollande warned an exit would be “irreversible” while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she wanted Britain to stay but that the decision was down to the British people.
The German and French leaders will meet in Berlin next week for talks Hollande said would work “towards relaunching the European project”, already struggling with an unprecedented migrant crisis.Cameron`s main rival in the “Leave” campaign and possible successor, Boris Johnson, said Britain stood on the brink of “independence day” from Europe.
US Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump, who arrives in Britain Thursday, also spoke out on Brexit again, saying he thought the country should “go it alone”.
A British withdrawal would trigger a lengthy exit negotiation, leading to the loss of unfettered access to its partners in the 28-nation market and forcing the country to strike its own trade accords across the world.
In Europe, the referendum has raised concerns of a domino effect of exit votes that would imperil the integrity of the bloc, already buffeted by the eurozone and migration crises.
Though many voters fret over the financial consequences of a Brexit, others relish the prospect of taking back power from Brussels and reining in high levels of immigration.
As Britain braces for Brexit vote, EU warns ‘out is out’; opinion polls put ‘Leave’ and ‘Remain’ camps neck and neck
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Source:Zeenews
