Britain votes to leave the EU

Britain has historically voted to exit the European Union after a referendum on Thursday to be come the first country to do so.

51.9% of Brits voted to leave while 48.1% said they wanted to stay within the bloc.

What happens next?

Well Britian, either in the next few days at an EU meeting or in a few moments will formerly advise the EU of the intention to leave. The referendum itself is not notice.

After this there will be a two-year window for the sides to negotiate a new treaty to replace the EU membership.

It might not be dramatic. Norway for example is a member of the EU but it abides by many EU rules to gain favourable access to the the European Common Market.

The news saw the British pound fall to its lowest level since 1985. The FTSE fell by 8.8%.

The real questions will be over the United Kingdom with places like Scotland, Northern Ireland and London being pro-Euro. Just under half of the population voted to stay in.

You wonder what the Scotland vote would have been if it had been held after this.

It’s going to be awkward.