Alastair Grant/AP
David Cameron announced on Friday that he will step down as prime minister in October after Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. His resignation comes after 52 percent of Britons voted to leave the European Union, handing a defeat to Cameron and others on the “remain” side of the highly contentious Brexit debate.
“The British voters have voted to leave the European Union, and their will must be respected,” Cameron said outside his offices at 10 Downing. “I want to thank everyone who took part in the campaign of my side of the argument, including all those who put aside party differences to speak in what they believed what the national interest.”
Cameron ran for reelection in 2013 on the promise to hold such a vote to renegotiate Britain’s position in the European Union. Initially, the referendum was viewed as a low-risks gamble, but the debate quickly intensified and caused a deep split among Britons over whether to withdraw its membership.
His resignation comes amid plummeting stocks worldwide, as countries react to Britain’s referendum. On Friday morning, the Sterling continued to fall to a 30-year-low. Leaders of the “leave” camp are celebrating, referring to the vote as marking a new “independence day.”
