Polling closed in Britain’s bitterly fought referendum on whether to quit the European Union on Thursday, with a prominent ‘Leave’ campaigner saying he expected to lose and an early survey suggesting voters had chosen to remain in the bloc.
Nigel Farage, head of the UK Independence Party and a leading voice in favour of leaving the EU, told Sky News he did not expect to be on the winning side.
The four-month campaign has sharply polarised the nation and the final outcome of the vote could change the face of Europe.
If Britain becomes the first state to leave the EU, Brexit would be the biggest blow to the 28-nation bloc since its foundation.
Results are due to be announced by most of the 382 individual local counting areas between around 0000 GMT and 0300 on Friday.
The vote came on a day when London and parts of southeast England were hit by torrential rain, causing floods and widespread transport chaos.
Five London polling stations opened late as staff struggled to get there, and two closed briefly because of flooding but were quickly re-opened in back-up locations.
As crowds of frustrated commuters struggled with train cancellations, Electoral Commission said on Twitter,
Among those affected was former London mayor Boris Johnson, a leading voice in the Leave campaign, who cast his vote with just 25 minutes to spare after returning to the capital from his daughter’s graduation in Scotland.
“Let’s see, let’s see. It’s in the hands of the people now,” he said when asked how he felt about the vote.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)