Britain has voted to leave the 28-bloc European Union. The Associated Press, citing tallies from British broadcasters, reported that the “leave” side prevailed 52 percent to 48 percent in Thursday’s vote.
The U.K. is the first major country to decide to leave the bloc, which evolved from the ashes of the war as the region's leaders sought to build links and avert future hostility.
As dawn broke over Britain, those who wanted to stay in the EU woke up to grim news. Veteran Labour lawmaker Keith Vaz said the vote to leave “is a crushing, crushing decision. This is a terrible day for Europe.”
Financial authorities around the world have waed that a British exit will reverberate through a delicate global economy.
The Associated Press contributed to this report