Brexit Referendum Live Updates: After UK Vote, What Happens Next To EU Trade, Pound, Euro And Politicians

UPDATE: 1:03 p.m. EDT — Google users weren't ready for the Brexit, it seems. Hours after the referendum results from the vote to leave the European Union were released, Google users were asking these questions, according to the search engine giant:

Are we in or out of the EU?

When did the UK join the EU?

What is Brexit?

What happens if the pound collapses?

What does it mean to leave the EU?

What is the EU?

Which countries are in the EU?

What will happen now we’ve left the EU?

How many countries are in the EU?

Who will replace David Cameron?

Has David Cameron resigned?

Why did David Cameron call an EU referendum?

Why did David Cameron resign?

How old is David Cameron?

UPDATE: 12:50 p.m. EDT — International Business Times' Julia Glum looks at why the Brexit vote could mean good news for Republican Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential race: "The people who supported the Brexit are similar to the voters who back Trump: white, old and not affluent," she wrote. Read more here.

UPDATE: 12:33 p.m. EDT — What happens next to David Cameron after he said Friday he would resign following a U.K. referendum to leave the European Union? Well, it probably won't be good. Many Twitter users have already lit into the British prime minister, calling him a pig and failed leader. A Foreign Policy headline Friday reads: "David Cameron Was a Historic and Disastrous Failure." And Slate's newest headline declares: "David Cameron Has Secured His Place as One of the Worst Prime Ministers Ever."

"David Cameron may be the worst prime minister in modern British history. That dishonor is typically bestowed upon Neville Chamberlain, who ceded Czechoslovakia to the Nazis in 1938 and will forever be bound to the word appeasement," Slate writes. "But poor Neville’s defenders can at least argue the man didn’t have many better options, since Britain wasn’t necessarily ready to take on Hitler’s forces in a war, and the time gained by sacrificing the Czechs allowed it to arm up. On the other hand, Cameron’s calamitous decision to allow a referendum on whether the U.K. should remain in the European Union — which unexpectedly ended in a vote to leave Thursday night — was a blunder entirely of his own making. Cameron, who announced Friday that he will resign, did not want to leave the EU. For a long time, he didn’t even truly want a referendum on the issue. He felt compelled, however, to appease his party’s angry Eurosceptic faction in order to keep a firm hold on power." Read more here.

UPDATE: 12:06 p.m. EDT — International Business Times' Christopher Zara asks: Can it happen here, too? Zara writes: "The U.K.’s bombshell decision to quit the European Union has emboldened a long-gestating secessionist movement in Texas, where disenchanted residents of the second-largest U.S. state have been building a coalition of voters in the hopes of finally putting the matter of Texas independence up for a state referendum vote."

"From the looks of it, the British people have chosen to take control of their political and economic destiny," Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, said in a statement early Friday. "The forces of fear have lost. It is now important for Texas to look to ‪ ‎ Brexit as an inspiration and an example that Texans can also take control of our destiny. It is time for Texans to rally with us and fight for the right to become a self-governing nation." Read more here.

UPDATE: 11:50 a.m. EDT — Former Federal Reserve Chair Alan Greenspan said Europe is facing a massive crisis that is not going away. Greenspan told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" the U.K. vote to leave the European Union "is just the tip of the iceberg."

"This is the worst period, I recall, since I've been in public service. There's nothing like it, including the crisis ... This has a corrosive effect, which is not easy [to make] go away," Greenspan said Friday.

He said voters are reacting to the stagnation of real incomes, which can't easily be fixed.

"There's a certain amount that monetary policy can do, but our problem is fundamentally fiscal," he said.

UPDATE: 11:41 a.m. EDT — China’s central bank said it will step up communication and coordination with other central banks, monetary authorities and major financial institutions after Brits voted Thursday to exit the European Union, the New York Times reported.

“We have noted the reactions of financial markets to the announcement of the British referendum on leaving the E.U. and have made contingency plans. We will continue implementing stable and steady monetary policies, and comprehensively applying a range of monetary policy tools, to maintain reasonably abundant liquidity and to safeguard financial stability," an unnamed official said in a statement posted on the bank’s website.

UPDATE: 11:23 a.m. EDT — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country would continue to work with both the U.K. and the European Union after Thursday's referendum to leave the economic and political bloc. Canada's proposed free trade deal with Europe faces uncertainty because of the vote, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"The U.K. and the EU are important strategic partners for Canada with whom we enjoy deep historical ties and common values," Trudeau said in a statement early Friday. "We will continue to build relations with both parties as they forge a new relationship."

The U.K. had been one of the biggest advocates for a trade deal between Canada and the EU that was slated to be ratified by early next year.

UPDATE: 11:04 a.m. EDT — Donald Trump said an economic downturn in the wake of the Brexit referendum in the U.K. will be great for the economy, or, at the very least, it could be great for him. Trump said Friday that if the British pound falls after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, he wouldn't mind.

"Look, if the pound goes down, they're going to do more business. When the pound goes down, more people are coming to Turnberry," Trump said Friday during the reopening of his golf resort in Scotland.

After Thursday's referendum, the pound dropped to its weakest level against the U.S. dollar since 1985.

UPDATE: 10:34 a.m. EDT — Democratic presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton urged Americans to work together for solutions after U.K. voters embraced Thursday what was once considered a longshot referendum to leave the European Union.

"This time of uncertainty only underscores the need for calm, steady, experienced leadership in the White House to protect Americans' pocketbooks and livelihoods, to support our friends and allies, to stand up to our adversaries and to defend our interests," Clinton said in a statement. "It also underscores the need for us to pull together to solve our challenges as a country, not tear each other down."

She also expressed concern about the sinking value of the U.K.'s pound and vowed to help protect families from any global economic backlash. "Our first task has to be to make sure that the economic uncertainty created by these events does not hurt working families," she tweeted.

UPDATE: 10:16 a.m. EDT — J.K. Rowling, author of the “Harry Potter” series, isn't too happy with the U.K.'s head muggle. Rowling said the U.K.'s vote Thursday to leave the European Union will likely also see Scotland leave the U.K. She put the blame for both on Prime Minister David Cameron.

"Scotland will seek independence now. Cameron's legacy will be breaking up two unions. Neither needed to happen," she wrote.

UPDATE: 10:07 a.m. EDT — The deputy chief of staff of Iran’s armed forces described the U.K. vote Thursday to leave the European Union as a rejection of the British government’s close ties with the White House, according to the semiofficial Fars News Agency.

Britain “should pay for years of colonization and crimes against humanity,” Brig. Gen. Masoud Jazayeri said.

Iran has held an adversarial relationship with the U.S. and the U.K. since at least 1979, when the Islamic Revolution unseated the U.S.-backed shah.

UPDATE: 9:59 a.m. EDT — Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair said the U.K.'s vote Thursday to leave the European Union has left him with "a great sadness."

"I was prime minister for 10 years. I cannot think of a single large decision, other than those concerned with relations with Europe, where Europe told me what to do. We are a sovereign nation, but we are more powerful with others," he told CNN. "It's going to be a complicated process, but it's important to bring our country together. It's still a resilient country and a strong country."

UPDATE: 9:46 a.m. EDT — President Barack Obama said the White House will continue to work with the European Union and the U.K. after British voters decided Thursday to leave the EU.

"The people of the United Kingdom have spoken, and we respect their decision. The special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom is enduring, and the United Kingdom’s membership in NATO remains a vital cornerstone of U.S. foreign, security and economic policy. So too is our relationship with the European Union, which has done so much to promote stability, stimulate economic growth and foster the spread of democratic values and ideals across the continent and beyond," the White House said in a statement Friday. "The United Kingdom and the European Union will remain indispensable partners of the United States even as they begin negotiating their ongoing relationship to ensure continued stability, security and prosperity for Europe, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the world."

UPDATE: 9:25 a.m. EDT — Republican presumptive presidential nominee Donald Trump said British voters backed the U.K. referendum on leaving the European Union because they were tired "of seeing stupid decisions, just like in the U.S." Trump addressed the EU crisis as he visited Scotland on Friday to tour his golf courses.

"A lot has to do with immigration; a lot has to do with the fact that they want to be independent,” the businessman said.

Trump has been criticized by British leaders, including Prime Minister David Cameron, for his campaign promises to build a border wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and ban Muslims from entering the United States.

"There is great similarity between what happens here and my campaign," Trump added. "People want to take their country back."

UPDATE: 9:10 a.m. EDT — Morgan Stanley will reportedly move roughly 2,000 employees from London to Dublin and Frankfurt, Germany, after British voters decided Thursday to leave the European Union, according to the BBC. The investment bank had warned last week it would relocate as many as 1,000 workers if the "leave" camp won the so-called Brexit referendum.

However, a Morgan Stanley spokesperson told CNBC Friday that it had not made any decisions to move 2,000 jobs out of London.

UPDATE: 8:28 a.m. EDT — Greek leftist Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said the British referendum on leaving the European Union shows Europe must embrace a "fresh vision." Tsipras said he was disappointed by the results of Thursday's historic vote in the U.K., but he said the referendum shows that Brussels' push for austerity and inability to address the thousands of refugees flooding its borders in recent months shows that the European project is failing.

"The outcome of the referendum should act as a wake-up call for the sleepwalker who is heading for the abyss," Tsipras said. "The arrogant words of technocrats angered people. We need progressive reforms to raise a wall against Euroskepticism."

Meanwhile, Greek citizens who have seen their country plagued by riots as it has struggled to live under Brussels' austerity measures praised the U.K. referendum.

"This is a good thing; it will smash Germany's economic strength, and other countries will follow [Britain]," Christos Peppas, 48, who works at the Bank of Greece, the central bank, told reporters.

"Europe doesn't have a future," said George Fountas, 36, a driver. "At some point we should do the same. Of course Britain doesn't have the crisis we have; things are different."

UPDATE: 8:23 a.m. EDT — Pope Francis said Europe has a "great responsibility" to protect peace across the continent after British voters voted Thursday to leave the European Union. Francis spoke with reporters on the papal plane while traveling Friday to Armenia. He said the U.K. vote seemed to reflect "the will of the people."

"It demands great responsibility on our part," he said, "to ensure the well-being of the people in the United Kingdom and the coexistence of the people on the European continent. So I wait."

UPDATE: 8:12 a.m. EDT — House Speaker Paul Ryan said the U.S. will maintain its "special relationship" with the U.K. after British voters said Thursday they want to leave the European Union. "The U.K. is an indispensable ally of the U.S.," Ryan tweeted Friday.

UPDATE: 8:05 a.m. EDT — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who was traveling to Ireland on Friday to give a speech, said he was disappointed in the outcome of the British referendum.

"I must say we had looked for a different outcome. We would have preferred a different outcome ... but the United States has a long-standing friendship with the United Kingdom, and that very special bond will endure,” he said in a speech in Dublin. "We fully respect the decision they have made."

UPDATE: 7:55 a.m. EDT — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Europe must remain calm and prudent, and avoid "quick and simple" conclusions after British voters decided Thursday to leave the European Union.

"We take note of the British people's decision with regret. There is no doubt that this is a blow to Europe and to the European unification process," she said. But "what the consequences of this would be ... would depend on whether we — the other 27 member states of the EU — prove to be willing and able to not draw quick and simple conclusions from the referendum in Great Britain, which would only further divide Europe," Merke said.

Merkel will meet with French President François Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and European Council President Donald Tusk in Berlin on Monday to discuss the so-called Brexit vote.

Original story:

British voters have chosen to exit the European Union, making the United Kingdom the first nation to leave the powerful alliance created decades ago to avoid wars and bolster international trade. The results of Thursday's historic referendum are still being sorted out, as Prime Minister David Cameron vowed to resign and European Union leaders said they would make it difficult for the U.K. to negotiate new trade terms.

“The British people have made a very clear decision to take a different path, and as such, I think the country requires fresh leadership,” Cameron told reporters outside his Downing Street residence Friday as he held back tears. On the other side, Nigel Farage, leader of the U.K. Independence Party and a proponent of the so-called Brexit, told reporters: “The Euroskeptic genie is out of the bottle, and it will now not be put back.”

Change won't come overnight after 52 percent of U.K. voters backed what is being called Britain's "Independence Day." Leaving the EU could take at least two years, and that period could be extended if all other 27 EU countries agree. Brits will remain part of the European Union amid such negotiations, meaning they won't need to replace their EU passports just yet and will continue to be able to travel freely within the alliance's borders. Once a deal is made between London and Brussels, it's unclear if Brits will still be able to travel without visas within Europe.

Another big question will be whether British nationals will be able to live and work in EU countries, BBC News reported.

Global markets and currencies have reacted unfavorably toward the Brexit. The pound dropped to its lowest value since 1985, and stocks in Europe and Asia took a plunge. Oil fell 4.8 percent, while gold climbed 5 percent. Meanwhile, JPMorgan Chase, HSBC Holdings and other big firms have pledged to move thousands of jobs out of London and into Europe after the referendum.

“Panic is palpable,” John Gorman, the Tokyo-based head of U.S. debt trading for Asia and the Pacific at Nomura Holdings, told Bloomberg.

Far-right leaders across Europe who have been critical of the European Union's migrant policies applauded the referendum results and signaled they could hold their own versions of Brexits in the near future. France’s Marine Le Pen has already called for an immediate referendum, and leaders in Italy, Germany and other countries are expected to do the same.

“This is not such a good day for Europe,” Deutsche Bank AG CEO John Cryan said in a statement. “We cannot fully foresee the consequences, but there’s no doubt that they will be negative on all sides.”

Within the U.K., Scottish leaders have begun to discuss another independence referendum after a 2014 effort to become a sovereign nation failed. In Scotland, 62 percent of voters cast ballots in favor of remaining in the EU, compared with the 48 percent support the "remain" vote received across the U.K.

“The vote here makes clear that the people of Scotland see their future as part of the European Union,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Friday.