Millions are heading to the polls to decide whether we stay in the European Union or leave. We’ll have the latest as it happens
The United Kingdom finally heads to the polls today to decide whether we Leave or Remain in the European Union.
Polling stations are open between 7am and 10pm. Not sure where to go to vote? Here’s our guide.
And if you haven’t decided what you’re going to vote for, our handy quiz might help.
There won’t be any exit polls tonight – here’s why – but our poll tracker will let you take the pulse of the nation as the day goes on.
And you can find out when we’ll know the result here.
You can check how your MP is voting here and how your area is voting here,
The Mirror is urging its readers to vote Remain. However, you can read our rundown of the arguments on both sides here.
Key Events So Far
Sadiq Khan has voted
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has cast his vote at his local polling station in Tooting.
He even shared a picture of his first vote as boss of the Capital.
The referendum result should never have been this close
The referendum result should never have been this close.
Remain should have won the argument on the first day and allowed us six weeks off.
Instead the country was mugged by Leave who fought one of the most dishonest, cynical and shameless election campaigns witnessed in a modern democracy.
They committed a crime against the voters and in doing so polluted not just our political discourse but the whole atmosphere of the country.
And it is time they were held responsible.
Read Jason’s comment in full here
Former London Mayor Boris Johnson speaks as Michael Gove listens at a Vote Leave rally in London
Nun of the above
Here’s a delightful picture of a group of nuns, who’ve just performed their democratic duty.
Nuns leave after casting their votes at a polling station in London
Boris hasn’t voted yet. Here’s why.
The observant among you may have noticed that David Cameron, Jeremy Corbyn, Nigel Farage, Nicola Sturgeon and Michael Gove have all voted – but there’s been no sign of bumbling blonde Brexiteer Boris Johnson.
Well, we’ve tracked him down – he’s voting later this evening because he’s attending his daughter Lara’s graduation, in St Andrews, Scotland.
Where is the weirdest polling station in Britain?
Today is EU referendum day, and millions are trudging to their local polling station to decide whether they want to Leave or Remain.
While most people will find themselves casting their vote in schools, community centres or places of worship, a few will find themselves marking their ballots in altogether weirder locations.
A woman walks past an 2S3 M-1973 Akatsiya 152-mm self-propelled gun howitzer, standing outside the Greenwich Heritage Centre, set up as a polling station, in London
Here, pub landlord Ray Seavers pulls pints in The Bush Inn in the small Cumbrian village of Tallentire which is being used as a polling station
Among the most bizarre places are caravans, roundabouts and even a bloke’s living room.
Here’s some of the most unusual places that have been used for polling stations in recent years.
Voters have to make their way through a cluttered yard to reach the polling booth inside the GAMES ROOM of a house near Silloth, Cumbria
Don’t say we didn’t warn you, Tony
OK, this is DEFINITELY the last poll
The Financial Times has just published what we promise will be the final poll of the EU referendum.
The Populus poll of 4,700 people, carried out right up to midnight last night, puts remain on 55%, with Leave on 45%.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
Populus/Financial Times
Tony Blair DARES the internet
Tony Blair has tweeted a picture to prove he voted remain.
Trouble is, the internet has a habit of doing awful things to pictures of politicians holding big bits of card.
We can’t imagine this will go unnoticed.
Final polls of the campaign
A poll conducted just before polls opened by Ipsos MORI for the London Evening Standard shows Remain in the lead on 52%.
It was carried out up to 9pm last night, and surveyed 1,592 people With just four points between the two, it’s will be a nail-biter for both campaigns.
The poll also found 12% of those surveyed might change their mind in the few short hours before they cast their vote.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? Online poll
Ipsos MORI phone
You can see all the latest polls on our EU Referendum poll tracker
Minister James Brokenshire’s local polling station flooded
Immigration Minister James Brokenshire has paid tribute to council bosses after his local polling station was flooded.
He’s Tory MP for Old Bexley and Sidcup.
Kingston Council closes 2 polling stations due to flooding
The inclement weather has forced Kingston Council to close two of their polling stations.
But they’ve opened two nearby polling stations to make up for it and are directing people there.
Flooding also affected the A3 – one of the major roads through Surrey – as the county was hit with no fewer than 32 yellow weather warnings for heavy rain, with the possibility of flash flooding.
Surrey took the brunt of torrential downpours during the night, with the dark skies being lit up by prolonged lightning storms.
A spokesperson for Kingston Council said: “Heavy rainfall over night has resulted in the closure of two polling stations. We had plans in place to minimise this disruption and alternative polling stations have opened nearby.”
Germans will admit Geoff Hurst’s 1966 World Cup goal went in – on one condition
German newspaper BILD has vowed to admit that Geoff Hurst’s World Cup winning goal for England crossed the line if we vote to remain in the European Union.
Hurst’s extra-time strike against West Germany in 1966 put England cannoned off the crossbar and onto the goal line but the officials controversially allowed a goal.
Germany have continually protested the decision since, even to this day, but they could be able to admit defeat in the debate.
BILD have led their Thursday morning front page on the EU referendum which is taking place across the United Kingdom.
They have vowed to admit that Hurst’s goal did actually cross the line should residents of the UK vote to remain inside the EU with the vote.
Bild cover: If Britain stays in the EU they will acknowledge the Wembley goal
#UsePens
The road to today’s EU referendum hasn’t been without its malice, stone-throwing and spreading of ‘facts’ with no basis.
And now another rumour circulating on social media is seemingly convincing a lot of people that the Remain campaign is trying to ‘rig’ the election by rubbing out votes cast in pencil.
Here’s why that’s a load of old bunkum
Jeremy Corbyn casts his vote
In case you missed it earlier, Jeremy Corbyn voted in his home constituency of Islington.
Here’s the moment the Labour leader arrived at the polling station.
Michael Gove and Nicola Sturgeon cast their votes
Leading leave campaigner Michael Gove has cast his vote at his local polling station in London.
Here’s how that happened.
Meanwhile, SNP leader and Remain backer Nicola Sturgeon has done her democratic duty. Big fan of referendums, is Nicola.
Here’s the moment she put a cross in a box.
5 good reasons to vote remain
Daily Mirror Associate Editor Kevin Maguire has come up with 5 good reasons to vote Remain – and 5 more not to vote leave.
5 good reasons to vote Remain
- Good manners. Much better to rub along nicely with our neighbours that shout at them over the Channel and Irish Sea.
- Everything from millions of British jobs and our nation’s prosperity to scientific research and space exploration are intertwined with our EU neighbours
- We’re stronger and safer united, as villains and terrorists dragged back to justice with European Arrest Warrants could confirm from behind bars
- Britain has more clout in the world as a member of a big club than pining for the days of Palmerston and gunboats
- The best people are on your side
5 as good reasons not to vote Leave
- Out and we’d be a poorer, meaner, nastier country
- The liars, charlatans, cheats, demonisers, xenophobes and scaremongers behind Project Fibs and Project Hate would win.
- The desperate Vote Leave campaign switched to poisonous Ukip-style migrant-bashing, refugee-abusing dirty fight after losing the economic argument
- Quitting would delight Tory press barons owning the Sun. Mail, Express Telegraph – including tycoons who don’t live in Britain or hide their cash in tax havens
- Nigel Farage, Iain Duncan Smith, Boris Johnson and Michael Gove
Iain Duncan Smith
Nigel Farage casts his vote
We’re expecting Nigel Farage to cast his vote at his local polling station in Westersham shortly.
You can watch it live right here
Queues at polling stations – a sign of high turnout?
People are reporting queues at polling stations across the country – in places they’ve never seen queueing before.
Unfortunately, as there’s never been a referendum on leaving the EU before, there’s no previous poll to compare the turnout to – so we don’t actually know if it means anything for the result.
So until we learn the result tonight, some time around 4am, let’s just enjoy democracy in action.
Do I need a polling card to vote in the EU referendum?The EU Referendum is today and assuming you’ve registered to vote, you should have received your polling card.
These polling cards are very useful – most importantly they’ll tell you where you need to go to vote.
This could be a school hall, a pub, or a church depending on where you live – it could even be a caravan or someone’s living room.
But what do you need to take with you on election day?
Here’s everything you need to know.
BRISTOL, UNITED KINGDOM – MAY 26: A postal poll card for the referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union on June 23 is displayed on May 26, 2016 in Bristol, England. Although the bookmakers odds currently being offered indicate that the chance of a Brexit occuring is unlikely, doubt over the accuracy of the polls means some uncertainty still remains to the eventual outcome. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images)
David Cameron and wife Samantha cast their votes
Here’s the moment David Cameron arrived at London’s Methodist Central Hall to cast his vote.
The half-ton heifer escaped from her field and joined voters heading into Witney, Oxon, where Mr Cameron is the local MP.
Though she didn’t have a vote, she ambled along the A40 near the turn-off into the town, where the PM and his staff work at his constituency offices.
Thames Valley Police warned of delays as drivers were forced to a halt by the bovine wanderer.
A police spokesman said efforts were being made to round up the cow and return her to her field.
“In the meantime there is very slow traffic both ways on the A40 between the B4022 turn-off to Witney East and the B4449 Eynsham Roundabout” said a spokesman.
Will the weather affect the result?
If you’re in the south of England, you might have noticed there is a great deal of weather today.
Here’s what he had to say:
Very, very rarely. There have been occasions in British elections where one part of the country has had the usual British rain and another has had a glimmer of sunshine and it’s had no perceptible impact on the level of turnout. So unless those thunderstorms are actually disruptive and make it difficult for people to actually get to the polling station it’s unlikely to make much difference.
So it’s probably not going to make a difference…as long as it’s not so bad it actually prevents people getting to the polling stations. Or presumably as long as it doesn’t stop polling stations opening…
Nigel Farage is awakeAs noted here, Nigel Farage is up with the birds and has been talking to reporters outside his home.
Here’s what he had to say.
Cameron and Corbyn head to the polls
David Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn are heading to the polls this morning.
The Labour leader will be casting his vote at Islington Town Hall shortly.
You can watch it live right here.
There’ll be live pictures of him doing that here.
Has Ukip’s Suzanne Evans broken the law?
Both Ukip’s Suzanne Evans and the Leave.EU Twitter account have been retweeting people’s photos of their ballot papers this morning.
It’s not illegal to take a picture of your own ballot paper. It’s not even illegal to share the picture on social media.
It is, however, an offence to reveal how someone else voted.
Under Section 66 of the Representation of the People’s Act it is a criminal offence to communicate information about the way someone has voted or is about to vote – or to communicate the unique identification number on the ballot paper.
So while the original tweets are inadvisable, but probably fine…the retweets could be a different story…
Here’s why Nigel Farage pulled out of last night’s debate
Nigel Farage pulled out of last night’s Channel 4 debate, avoiding a grilling from Jeremy Paxman – and a potential showdown with Ukip founder Alan Sked.
The last minute retreat was initially blamed on “family reasons.”
But today Ukip sources say Mr Farage was having dinner with his eldest son, Sam.
It meant he missed the last debate before the referendum the Ukip leader has been building up to for his entire political career.
Mr Farage has two sons, both of whom work in the City.
Nigel Farage
“He hadn’t seen him for nine months so it was between that or being on against the founder of Ukip who calls him racist,” a source told MailOnline. “It was a no brainer.”
Mr Sked is not a fan of the way Mr Farage has taken the party he co-founded. In 2014, he told the Guardian Ukip had become a “Frankenstein’s monster” – adding it had become racist under Nigel’s leadership.
Germany promises to recognise Geoff Hurst’s 1966 World Cup Goal…if we remain in the EU
Germany’s most popular newspaper, Bild, has made Britain an interesting offer.
On today’s front page, they’ve pledged to recognise Geoff Hurst’s goal for England in the 1966 World Cup, on the condition that Britain votes to remain in the European Union.
The goal took England 3-2 up against against Germany in the 1966 final.
But it’s been a point of argument ever since – with German fans claiming it never crossed the line.
Geoff Hurst scores England’s third goal against West Germany
After much discussion, the referee allowed the extra-time goal, and England went on to win 4-2.
How will Your region vote?
Fenland in Cambridgeshire is the most pro-Brexit place in the UK.
National polling for tomorrow’s EU referendum currently has a Brexit hanging in the balance with just one percentage point separating leave and remain.
The final result may still hang in the balance but Open Europe, a think tank, have conducted an analysis of data from the British Election Survey to help people get a sense of which way the country may be leaning.
According to their calculations, which factored in attitudes to the EU along with demographic data and national polling results, voters in Fenland are apparently the most ardent anti-EU place in the country with the leave vote ahead by 38.5 percentage points.
How the polls break down
Here’s how the final polls in the EU referendum, released overnight, break down.
The ComRes/Daily Mail poll gives Remain a 6-point lead over Leave.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? Phone poll
Comres for the Daily Mail/ITV
YouGove, for the Times had a bigger sample size – a whopping 3,766 – in their online poll.
If you discount undecideds, the outcome is a genuine dead heat – 45% each way. But of the 8% who don’t know how they’re going to vote, most of them said they would pick remain, so their final result is 51% to 49%.
Here’s how it looks.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union? Online poll
YouGov/Times
Meanwhile, a TNS online poll of 2,320 people on June 16-22 showed a two-point lead for Brexit – with Leave on 43% and Remain on 41%.
Some 11% of voters still said they don’t know while another 5% said they don’t intend to vote.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
ORB/Telegraph
An Opinium poll of 3,011 people from June 20-22, again online, put Leave on 45% and Remain on 44%.
But it found far more people expect the Remain camp to triumph tomorrow (46%) than the Brexit camp (27%). Another 27% don’t know how it will do.
Should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union or leave the European Union?
ORB/Telegraph
Remain swings back into the lead
In the final hours before polls open, Remain appear to have clawed back into the leave.
A survey by ComRes for the Daily Mail and ITV News gave Remain a 6-point lead over Leave – on 48% compared to 42%.
But the phone poll of 1,032 people on June 17-22 also underlined the confusion among voters as 11% of people said they were still undecided.
The final YouGov survey for The Times, which quizzed a massive 3,766 people online on June 20-22, had each side in a dead heat with 45%.
Yet far more of the 8% who were ‘don’t knows’ said they would probably end up picking Remain – meaning it gains the lead in the final result, 51%/49%.
A YouGov spokesman said: “Our current polling suggests the race is too close to call, but the recent trend has been towards Remain, just as other referendums in the past have shown late movement towards the status quo.
“In this poll we asked people who said they didn’t know how they would vote which way they were leaning and re-allocated them on that basis, an adjustment that increased the position of Remain by a point.”
But the spokesman warned: “It is still possible that people will change their mind on the day.”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/eu-referendum-day-live-flooding-8262829