Brexit live: The referendum night that changed Britain – as it happened 10 years ago

Welcome to The Independent’s EU referendum results night blog… 10 years on.

To mark a decade since the Brexit vote, this special page replays the events of the referendum night of 23 June 2016 in “real time”, as if it were a breaking news story today.

Everyone remembers where they were the night that David Cameron, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage shaped the Brexit vote that changed Britain.

We are campaigning to rebuild Britain's relationship with Europe. Join us here

From the moment polls closed at 10pm on 23 June 2016 to the official declaration confirming Britain’s Leave vote at 7.40am the next morning and the reaction that followed, we will bring you every twist as it happened.

Join us as early confidence in a Remain victory gives way to one of the most unexpected election results in modern British political history – a 52 per cent vote to Leave the European Union.

This live event is part of The Independent’s new campaign, Europe: The Way Back, exploring how Britain can rebuild its relationship with Europe.

Now read on – and experience Brexit night as it unfolded a decade ago...

Key Points

• The Brexit Debates
• Remain predicted to win
• Polls close at 10pm

07:41 , Paul Clements

7.41am The Independent’s political reporter Millie Cooke – then an 18-year-old student – tweets:

“Not only are we now standing alone, but our politicians are too busy focusing on leadership race to bother about stable relations w/ europe."

Millie now writes Europe: The Way Back, a free weekly newsletter with our political correspondent David Maddox. Sign up here or by using the form below:

“Not only are we now standing alone, but our politicians are too busy focusing on leadership race to bother about stable relations w/ europe."

Millie Cooke

Still no, Jeremy Corbyn…

07:30 , Paul Clements

7.30am Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn is the first major party leader to respond to the referendum result.

He tells the BBC that “the British people have made their decision. We must respect that result, and Article 50 [the mechanism to trigger the UK's exit from the EU] has to be invoked now so that we negotiate an exit from the European Union.”

The British people have made their decision. We must respect that result, and Article 50 has to be invoked now so that we negotiate an exit from the European Union

Jeremy Corbyn

Europe: The final count

07:20 , Paul Clements

7.20am With all 382 local totals now certified, the formal national result is declared at Manchester Town Hall by Jenny Watson, chief counting officer and chair of the Electoral Commission.

Leave has won 17,410,742 votes (51.9 per cent), with Remain on 16,141,241 votes (48.1 per cent).

A majority of sitting Labour MPs now represent constituencies that voted to Leave.

The only areas not to vote for Brexit are London, Northern Ireland and Scotland.

Who's really to blame for Brexit?

07:16 , Paul Clements

7.16am John Rentoul tweets: “It was [German chancellor Angela] Merkel, [European commissioner Jean-Claude] Juncker and [president of the European Parliament, Martin] Schulz who did it: if they had given Cameron real restrictions on free movement he could have won it”.

It was Merkel, Juncker and Schulz who did it: if they had given Cameron real restrictions on free movement he could have won it

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

Cornwall counts dreckly

07:05 , Jacqui Merrington

7.05am The final result of the Brexit referendum is declared. It‘s Cornwall, which has voted Leave despite receiving more than £1billion in EU funding since 2000.

I am editor of CornwallLive as the result comes in and when our reporters head out onto the streets of Truro, Falmouth and Penzance to gather reaction, they are met by anger and abuse.

A decade on from the EU referendum, Alex Ross visits Cornwall to discover a fishing industry still reeling from a betrayal by the Leave campaign

Or maybe you could just Smile?

07:01 , Paul Clements

7.01am On behalf of her generation, singer Lily Allen tweets: "Well millennials. We're really really f***ed."

Well millennials. We're really really fucked.

— Lily Allen (@lilyallen) June 24, 2016

I was doing my GCSEs and dreaming of studying overseas – then a referendum I didn’t get a vote dashed that for me and everyone else who doesn’t have rich parents, writes Amelia Jacobs 10 years on

Would the last person to leave the country…

06:59 , Paul Clements

6.59am With many Remainers now despairing about Britain’s future, The Independent publishes a word of advice “for those less than thrilled by the results of the referendum”, under the headline: “Brexit: How to leave the United Kingdom”.

“The nation awakens to Brexit this morning… here are your options.

“Respect the flow of democracy and get on with life, actually vote next time – or chuck it all in and move to a warmer country where the currency isn’t plummeting and Boris Johnson isn’t poised to be next Prime Minister…”

The story also explained how to move abroad (First, “notify your council…”) – but choose your destination wisely. It cautions against the United States, because of “the possibility of a Trump presidency” – but “if you’re quick and can get out before Britain draws up the paperwork to shut itself off from the rest of the continent”, Europe is still your oyster.

“Iceland has one of the lowest violent crime rates in the world, Bjork and nicegeothermal lagoons. Meanwhile, Poland's economy continues to grow meanwhile, expected to increase by 3.9 per cent…”

No, Jeremy Corbyn…

06:32 , Paul Clements

6.32am Labour MP for Hackney North Diane Abbott appears on the BBC: “Jeremy Corbyn’s position was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party.”

Jeremy Corbyn’s position was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party

Diane Abbott

John Rentoul tweets in reply, calling it a “remarkable defence”.

"Jeremy Corbyn's position was closer to the national mood than any other leader of a major party": remarkable defence by @HackneyAbbott #BBC

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

In June 2026, a two-part BBC documentary marking a decade since the EU referendum made it clear that David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn were as culpable for scuttling the Remain campaign as Nigel Farage, writes Donald Macintyre

Guess who's to blame…

06:30 , Paul Clements

6.30am John Rentoul tweets: “Those secret exit polls for City institutions didn't amount to much, did they?"

“Those secret exit polls for City institutions didn't amount to much, did they?"

John Rentoul

He then follows it with: “#alltonyblairsfault".

#alltonyblairsfault https://t.co/Rumlz5bYhK

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

It is a great shame that the excellent hashtag does not trend.

Stoke-on-Trent goes all out

06:20 , The Independent

6.20am One of the most deprived cities in the UK, Stoke-on-Trent declares for Leave – 69.4 per cent Leave vs 30.6 per cent Remain – in the West Midlands’ most polarised vote (which votes 59 per Leave).

It will forever be known as England’s “Brexit capital”.

I tried to hit the TV

06:15 , Jacqui Merrington

We asked The Independent readers to tell us where they were on referendum night

I awoke to the sound of my neighbours screaming. I jumped up to turn the TV on and tried to hit it to fix the picture I was seeing, which said the Leave vote had won.

Ten years on, it is clear my initial reaction was the right one – it has been a complete disaster.

This was in the North East of England, so be careful of stereotyping people.

EULou

Leave has definitely, definitely won

06:02 , Paul Clements

6.02am The Leave campaign officially reaches 16.76 million votes, making it a mathematical certainty that the UK has chosen to leave the European Union.

I cried

05:14 , Jacqui Merrington

Independent reader The Horseman recalls an encounter with a Polish man on referendum night

On the day of the referendum it rained incessantly in London. I’d been working late and was forced to take the Tube to Rayners Lane because my branch of the Metropolitan line had flooded and wasn’t running.

I walked home from Rayners Lane, a distance of about five miles. Along the way I met a similarly drenched and lost Polish man who had just moved to the UK and, I discovered, was living close to where I did. Due to the public transport failures he was completely lost, so I walked with him to the end of his street.

The exit polls seemed initially to be showing a very slight lead for Remain, so as we separated I told him that I thought everything was going to be OK – Brexit wasn’t going to happen.

Shattered after a long day and an unnecessarily long walk, I went to bed. I woke at 6am to hear James Naughtie saying: “Nothing has changed, but everything has changed, Britain has voted to leave the EU.”

And then, as I recall, I cried.

The Horseman

Brexpelliarmus!

05:07 , Paul Clements

5.07am In reply to a distressed Harry Potter fan asking her to “do something” about Britain leaving the EU, author JK Rowling says: “I don't think I've ever wanted magic more."

I don't think I've ever wanted magic more. https://t.co/gVNQ0PYIMT

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) June 24, 2016

Corden's Californian nightmare

05:06 , Paul Clements

5.06am James Corden, the British comedian, tweets from LA, where he lives while working as the host of CBS's The Late Late Show:

“I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x”

I can't get my head around what's happening in Britain.I'm so sorry to the youth of Britain. I fear you've been let down today x

— James Corden (@JKCorden) June 24, 2016

Britain searches for gold – and Irish passports

05:00 , Paul Clements

5am As strong Leave results continue to pour in, Google Trends reports a spike of more than 500 per cent in UK searches for “buy gold” over the previous four hours.

It is part of a broader wave of panicked informational searches, which also include “how to apply for an Irish passport” and “move to Gibraltar”.

The pound keeps falling

04:41 , Paul Clements

4.41am The pound, already in the throes of a historic collapse, continues to plunge on Dimbleby’s announcement, eventually sinking to a 31-year low.

The largest one-day fall in sterling’s history is one of the most dramatic currency moves ever seen in a major developed-market currency, far exceeding that of Black Wednesday in 1992.

Former foreign secretary David Miliband, in his essay from The Brexit Effect, 2016-2026 serialised by The Indepedent earlier this month, argues that we are still suffering a punishing Brexit tax every day, 10 years on

Dimbleby: We're out

04:40 , Paul Clements

4.40am With no time for a trigger warning, the veteran anchor of the BBC’s results coverage David Dimbleby calls it.

“Well, at 20 minutes to 5, we can now say the decision taken in 1975 by this country to join the Common Market has been reversed by this referendum to leave the EU... The British people have spoken and the answer is: We're out."

The BBC shows 'ludicrous caution'

04:37 , Paul Clements

4.37am Apparently in denial about the result, the BBC can only bring itself to announce it is "likely that the Leave campaign has built up a clear lead".

John Rentoul tweets, calling it “ludicrous caution”.

BBC ludicrous caution. "Likely that the Leave campaign has built up a clear lead."

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

Leading Remainers throw in the towel

04:28 , Paul Clements

4.28am Ardent Remain campaigner and Tory MP Anna Soubry tweets: "I will respect the result. It's a dreadful decision. We have to make the best of it."

I will respect the result. It's a dreadful decision. We have to make the best of it.

— Anna Soubry 🇬🇧🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🇺🇦🇪🇺🖤🤍 (@Anna_Soubry) June 24, 2016

A new Leave projected vote

04:20 , Paul Clements

4.20am Based on partial results and modelling of newly available turnout data, Leave is projected by both BBC and ITV to surpass the 16.76m votes needed to secure victory.

And the next prime minister will be…

04:10 , The Independent

4.10am John Rentoul tweets: “Some people suggesting Theresa May as a unity candidate. Tory party members won’t wear it.

Some people suggesting Theresa May as a unity candidate. Tory party members won't wear it. It's Boris Johnson. We had better get used to it.

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

“It’s Boris Johnson. We had better get used to it.”

Former Tory MP Conor Burns recalls the chaos surrounding Boris Johnson’s rise to Downing Street, in an extract from The Brexit Effect 2016-2026: Boris’ path to power and Brexit, told by those who loved and loathed him

Union, what union?

04:07 , Paul Clements

4.07am Former Independent editor Andrew Marr tweets: "This (probably) means the end of the UK as we have known it. Oh, and the government is pretty much shot, as well."

This (probably) means the end of the UK as we have known it. Oh, and the government is pretty much shot, as well.

— Andrew Marr (@AndrewMarr9) June 24, 2016

Britain had lost to Farage

04:06 , Jacqui Merrington

We asked readers of The Independent to share their memories of the Brexit referendum. Add your memories here

I still remember, on the night after the vote, Farage claiming that he had lost. It was obvious that he had won, but he wanted to make some money for a friend. The pound shot up when some believed that he had lost, and then collapsed when people realised that Britain had lost to Farage and his friend made money. Farage was a con man to the end.

Hera

Nigel Farage admits Leave has won

04:04 , Paul Clements

4.04am In his first impromptu speech of the night, Farage says: “Dawn is breaking on an independent United Kingdom… This will be a victory for ordinary people.”

Addressing Leave supporters, he also claims that June 23rd will be remembered in history as the "UK’s independence day".

But he also says that “we have done it without having to fight, we have done it without a bullet being fired”.

It is widely criticised as insensitive, coming just days after the murder of MP Jo Cox during the campaign.

The Independent updates its digital edition’s front page.

Keep calm and carry cash

03:55 , Paul Clements

3.55am Tory MP and Leave campaigner Jacob Rees-Mogg reassures the BBC that, despite the pound now being in near freefall, if there is to be a recession, it won’t be because of Brexit.

Rather, “there are fragile economic conditions in other parts of the world. I can’t say no recession ever, but not caused by Brexit specifically”.

Boris rampant

03:54 , The Independent

3.54am John Rentoul tweets: “I'm in shock. David Cameron's gamble has failed. His career is over. Will the Commons sit on Saturday? Is Boris Johnson really up to it?”

I'm in shock. David Cameron's gamble has failed. His career is over. Will the Commons sit on Saturday? Is Boris Johnson really up to it?

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

Just half a million in it

03:45 , The Independent

3.45am Leave is now comfortably ahead of Remain, by more than 500,000 votes.

Yorkshire leans out

03:26 , The Independent

3.26am Sheffield – England's fourth largest city, which had been predicted to go 52 per cent for Remain – votes 51 per cent Leave.

Curtice calls it

03:15 , The Independent

3.15am Veteran pollster Professor Sir John Curtice tells the BBC that Leave are now favourites to win.

Ten years on, in an extract from The Brexit Effect exclusively published by The Independent, Prof Sir John Curtice outlines why Brexit failed to live up to voter expectations and why the majority want to go back

We can be zeroes

03:09 , The Independent

3.09am Hanratty updates his prediction, now giving Remain a zero per cent chance of winning.

Latest forecast from @chrishanretty: Remain 47%, Leave 53% https://t.co/UJsWlPZNWw pic.twitter.com/TCjTP1Lhdo

— John Rentoul (@JohnRentoul) June 24, 2016

Too big to fail

03:00 , The Independent

3am In Lincolnshire, Boston registers the biggest Leave vote of the night – with 75.6 per cent in favour.

Stunning and brave

02:51 , The Independent

2.51am Peter Murrell – the SNP’s chief executive and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband – tweets: “Remain now has over 1 million votes in Scotland. With just 8 results to go, the map is turning bright yellow [Remain].”

02h50: Remain now has over 1 million votes in Scotland. With just 8 results to go, the map is turning bright yellow pic.twitter.com/clL4W8iqLE

— Peter Murrell (@PeterMurrell) June 24, 2016

Scotland swings behind Remain

02:28 , The Independent

2.28am Glasgow declares for Remain.

Better Leave right now

02:18 , Paul Clements

2.18am The Leave vote reaches a million, ahead of Remain.

Leave? Aaron banks on it

02:14 , The Independent

2.14am The co-founder of Leave.EU, Aaron Banks, tells BBC referendum night anchor Laura Kuenssberg that he now thinks Leave has won.

02:13 , Paul Clements

2.13am Stats wizard Chris Hanratty, from the University of East Anglia – whose contributions during the campaign have helped political correspondents to better number-crunch poll splits – updates his prediction.

Remain now has just three per cent chance of winning.

“I’m conscious that I may have made a terrible mistake somewhere in estimating differential turnout”

Chris Hanratty

Bookies start backing Brexit

02:12 , Paul Clements

2.12am Ladbrokes, the high-street bookies, declares that Leave is now favourite to win: 4/7 Leave, 5/4 Remain.

Hollywood can't believe what's happening

02:11 , Paul Clements

2.11am Mean Girls actor Lindsay Lohan – famed as much for her chaotic life off-screen as her films – sends what will become an iconic tweet to her 9.28 million followers:

“#REMAIN Sorry, but #KETTERING where are you&why is this woman @BBCNews speaking on people rather than TELLING us what happens if UK LEAVES?”

Lindsay Lohan

The American star later deletes her contribution – but it will be mentioned in a future House of Commons debate.

She will also record a video message to the people of Kettering, confirming she will not be switching on the town's Christmas lights.

Kettering declares

02:09 , The Independent

2.09am The East Midlands town of Kettering delivers another decisive vote for Leave – 61.0 per cent Leave to 39 per cent Remain, on a turnout of 76.4 per cent.

Basildon points to Brexit

01:51 , The Independent

1.51am Basildon in Essex – which has long been an election-night bellwether – declares strongly in favour of Leave (68.6 per cent Leave to 31.4 per cent Remain).

It is one of the earliest signs that the national result might be heading towards Brexit after all.

The Independent’s political sketchwriter Tom Peck – who is reporting from Leave HQ in Millbank, central London for the night – comments that the moment Basildon announced it has supported Leave, the cheers are so loud, viewers at home will have “barely heard the chants of ‘F*** off, Brussels’.”

Don't read too much into Basildon voting 75% leave. That place gave themselves their own Hollywood sign. #EUref

— Daniel Parker 💙 (@Danbo12) June 23, 2016

Nobody's going anywhere

01:27 , The Independent

1.27am For political journalists, who thought Remain had this in the bag, it has instead become an all-nighter.

Rentoul tweets again:

“My plan to write an update of my early comment [piece for the Independent] assuming a Remain win and go to sleep until 4 has met reality & come off worst”

01:15 , The Independent

1.15am John Rentoul, the Independent’s chief political commentator, tweets in frustration.

“Not happy with the BBC keeping its methodology secret and not saying exactly how results compare with its baseline”

Broxbourne backs Brexit

Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:59 , The Independent

12.59am Broxbourne in Hertfordshire declares – but its two-thirds vote for Leave is far higher than the 26pts the BBC number-crunchers had predicted.

The town briefly trends on Twitter.

Remain breathes a sigh in Swindon

Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:56 , The Independent

12.56am Just as it appears things seem to be going Leave’s way, the Swindon results lands.

It’s another win for the out campaigners – but with a narrower lead than the 15pt difference that had been predicted (Leave 54.7 per cent, Remain 45.3 per cent).

Wiltshire and Swindon vote to leave EU

Sunderland sinks the pound

Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:20 , The Independent

12.20am The second mainland result, Sunderland, is a strong Leave win (61.4 per cent Leave vs 38.7 per cent Remain).

The scale of the Leave win in this area triggers a sharp drop in the pound, which plunges 3.5 per cent to $1.435 in one of the largest recorded daily falls since the 2008 financial crisis.

The Leave camp perks up

Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:19 , Paul Clements

12.19am David Maddox, who is now the Independent’s political editor, tweets:

“Ukip sources said they expected Leave to lose Newcastle by at least 4 points so very happy came in at less than 1 per cent difference”

“Ukip sources said they expected Leave to lose Newcastle by at least 4 points so very happy came in at less than 1 per cent difference”

Newcastle declares for Remain… but only just

Tuesday 23 June 2026 00:04 , Paul Clements

12.04am, Friday June 24, 2016

Just after midnight, Newcastle-upon-Tyne becomes the first mainland voting area to declare, minutes ahead of nearby Sunderland.

… and it’s a narrow Remain win (50.7 per cent Remain vs 49.3 per cent Leave).

The one-percent margin is far closer than many expected in a university city, and the result electrifies the Leave campaign.

It will eventually be the only part of north-east England to support Remain.

And the first declaration is…

Monday 22 June 2026 23:40 , Paul Clements

11.40pm The first of 382 UK voting areas to declare is Gibraltar, the British overseas territory.

Its residents support Remain with a 95.9 per cent share, on a 84 per cent turnout.

The Independent dares to hope…

Monday 22 June 2026 23:01 , The Independent

11.01pm The Independent’s first daily edition front-page of the night carries the headline: “In The Lead: Early opinion polls suggest Remain campaign is heading for victory in referendum battle that will decide UK's future”.

Ten years on, The Independent's Daily Edition is still available seven days a week. Check out the latest front pages here

The pound rises

Monday 22 June 2026 23:00 , The Independent

11pm With the count well underway across the country, sterling hits $1.5018, its highest point against the dollar since December 2015.

Boris says democracy has been served

Monday 22 June 2026 22:41 , Jacqui Merrington

10.41pm Boris Johnson issues a thank you to the public for voting. It’s his last post on Twitter for several days - he goes very quiet after the result.

The polls have now closed, democracy has been served + we await the verdict of the people. Thanks to everyone involved + everyone who voted

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) June 23, 2016

Johnson wrote two fabled newspaper columns before the referendum – one arguing to leave the EU, one to remain – written before he decided to publicly back the Brexit campaign. One of the few people to read both columns was his sister. Rachel Johnson says, 10 years on, his unpublished article in support of the EU reads very differently

The Brexit Debates

Monday 22 June 2026 22:30 , Jacqui Merrington

Ten years after the EU referendum, has Brexit been a success? Have your say here and see what GB News’s deputy political editor Tom Harwood and PoliticsJoe’s political editor Ava Santina have to say as they set out the case for and against the economic success of Brexit

Kellner's verdict

Monday 22 June 2026 22:15 , The Independent

10.15pm Pollster Peter Kellner publishes a blog predicting that Remain will have an 8.5 per cent lead over Leave.

“The final UK result should be somewhere in the range of Remain 51.2-57.3 per cent, Leave 42.7-48.8 per cent”

Remain predicted to win

Monday 22 June 2026 22:08 , The Independent

10.08pm In the absence of an official exit poll, YouGov uses some on-the-day surveys conducted outside polling stations to predict the final result: “Remain 52 per cent, Leave 48 per cent.”

YouGov on-the-day poll: REMAIN 52, LEAVE 48 pic.twitter.com/TFlAcGcYIR

— YouGov (@YouGov) June 23, 2016

Farage concedes defeat

Monday 22 June 2026 22:03 , The Independent

10.03pm Nigel Farage, the Ukip leader and a key Leave campaigner, tells Sky News: “It’s been an extraordinary referendum campaign, turnout looks to be exceptionally high – and it looks like Remain will edge it”.

Eye of the storm

Monday 22 June 2026 22:01 , The Independent

10.01pm For many, it has been a struggle to get to the polling station.

An unseasonal weather front – from continental Europe, of all places – has brought flash flooding to swathes of the south and south-east England, closing several major London stations, including Waterloo, Euston and London Bridge.

The travel chaos leaves tens of thousands of commuters stranded on packed concourses, many unable to get home in time to cast their vote.

Forecast: evening rush, amber warning in force for London & parts of Southeast 1500-2300. Tomasz S pic.twitter.com/fAagMHsabJ

— BBC Weather (@bbcweather) June 23, 2016

Polls close

Monday 22 June 2026 22:00 , Paul Clements

10pm, Thursday June 23, 2016

Across the country, polls close in the 2016 EU referendum.