
When Boris Johnson announced in February that he would back the UK campaign to Leave the European Union, it transformed the debate. Johnson is popular with the public and within his party. By becoming the official head of Vote Leave, he gave the weight of the establishment to a campaign previously spear-headed by fringe political figures such as Nigel Farage and George Galloway.

The UK has voted on Thursday, 23 June, to leave the European Union after 43 years in a historic referendum. Leave won by 51,9% to 48,1% with England and Wales voting strongly for Brexit, while London, Scotland and Northern Ireland backed staying in the EU.

Legendary investor George Soros has warned of serious consequences for British jobs and finances if the country leaves the EU. Writing in The Guardian, he said sterling would decline precipitously if the Leave camp won Thursday's vote.

By Gwynne Dyer - How’s this for apocalyptic? “As a historian I fear Brexit [a British vote to leave the European Union in the referendum on June 23] could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the EU but also Western political civilization in its entirety,” said Donald Tusk, the president of the European Union, in an interview published on Monday in the German newspaper Bild.

French economy minister Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday the EU should act quickly and firmly if Britain votes next week to leave the European Union. Britain’s EU referendum will be held on Thursday, with an EU summit set for a few days later on June 28 at which Macron said EU leaders should take a firm stand with regard to the UK.

If the United Kingdom votes to leave the EU next week, the move could ultimately lead to the bloc's disintegration, Germany's foreign minister has warned. Frank-Walter Steinmeier was speaking near Berlin after talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault.

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne says he will have to slash public spending and increase taxes in an emergency Budget to tackle a £30bn black hole if the UK votes to leave the European Union. The chancellor will say this could include raising income and inheritance taxes and cutting the NHS budget.

UK exit from the European Union would be “a disaster” that would risk creating “an economic and social rift” between Gibraltar and the neighbouring region in Spain, the Cross-Frontier Group said in a report published by the Gibraltar Chronicle. The group’s president, Ángel Serrano, warned that Brexit posed a serious risk to employment and investment on both sides of the border.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned Friday that if Britain voted to leave the European Union, it wouldn't have access to the single market like non-members Norway and Switzerland do.

United Stated Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said a UK vote to leave the European Union could have significant economic repercussions. In a speech this week, she said a Brexit was one factor that the central bank would consider when deciding whether to raise interest rates. The Fed next meets on 14-15 June.