David Camron under pressure to resign over Brexit

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ANI London
Last Updated : Jun 24 2016 | 12:42 PM IST

David Cameron's immediate future as Prime Minister remains in doubt after Britain historically voted to move out of the European Union (EU).

Nigel Farage, leader of the UK Independence Party said Cameron should resign "immediately", while Labour said he should "consider his position", reports the Independent.

Having called for a referendum for a "Remain" vote, the "Leave" vote represents a huge political blow for Cameron, With 28 areas still to declare, Leave held 51.9 per cent of the vote in the early hours of Friday, with the BBC, ITV and Sky informing that the vote is for leaving the EU.

More than 80 Conservative MPs have signed a letter, to Cameron last night, calling on him to stay on regardless of the result. However, the shock of the Leave's victory, which sent the pound plummeting to lows not seen since 1985, has renewed calls for the Prime Minister's resignation.

Farage was among the first to call for him to go, while Labour's Shadow Foreign Secretary Hilary Benn, said she could not see how Cameron could stay on at 10 Downing Street "for very long at all".

"If you are the Prime Minister, you've called this referendum, you've laid your reputation on the line and your arguments, I think it's going to be very hard."

Former Downing Street aide Andy Coulson, meanwhile, told ITV that he suspected Cameron would be "pondering" his position.

"There are a large number of people urging him to stay, pointing out that what we need now is leadership and, to coin a phrase, it is no time for a novice...But I suspect David Cameron is now pondering the possibility of stepping down."

UKIP MP Douglas Carswell criticised his party leader's call for Cameron to resign, saying that the "less we hear from Nigel in the next few weeks and months the better".

"This is really serious stuff here.we need to grow up a little bit and make sure we're talking about national interest. David Cameron is Prime Minister, David Cameron will remain Prime Minister, David Cameron won a mandate a year ago, he has a duty to remain in Downing Street and oversee this and make it happen."

Brexit-supporting Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen also said it would not be in the interest of the country for Cameron to resign on Friday morning.

"Given all the volatility at the moment I think we can give the Prime Minister a little breathing space," he told BBC Radio 4.

"Short term he is going to need to get a grip, reshuffle his cabinet and address the pressing issues of Scotland, Northern Ireland and the financial markets, where there is going to be some short-term volatility.

"That will depend on how long it takes to stabilise the situation and move forward. He has politically exposed himself immensely in this campaign. I think he has been badly advised, I think he has underestimated the level of support for leave within the parliamentary party, within the wider party and ultimately within the country.

"I wish the Prime Minister had stayed above this and been a little more impartial.

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First Published: Jun 24 2016 | 12:42 PM IST

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