The UK has voted in the EU referendum - and now the results are set to come in.
Our colleagues on the Liverpool Echo will be up all night, with reporter Liam Murphy at the official count for the UK in Manchester. Our reporters David Holmes @sherlock1968 and Mike Fuller @mikefuller91 will be tweeting from the count for Cheshire West and Chester.
We will also be looking further afield, focusing on the national picture as the votes are counted around the country.
David Bartlett will be on hand for expert reaction and insight, while we'll also reflect what you're saying on social media.
The odds have been favouring REMAIN , on the back of a swing back to stay in many polls, but will voters who want to stay have turned out in sufficient numbers? Will heavy rain in parts of the country have an impact? We'll see through the course of one of the biggest nights in modern-day political history
Key Events
Goodbye for now
That’s all for the Brexit reaction live blog today - we’ll of course be bringing you all the latest news over the coming days as the story continues to unfold in what is sure to be a turbulent time for the country.
Five ways Brexit could change your life for the worse
The vote to leave the EU is truly historic and will change all our lives.
Reporter Joshua Taylor looks at some of the financial risks you may face when the UK walks away from the single market. Full story here.
Joe Anderson: "Last night was a disaster for our city."
Mayor Joe Anderson has lashed out against the decision to leave the EU on Facebook.
He posted: “Last night’s result was a disaster for our city region. Going forward, the only certainty we have is that there will be lost of uncertainty.
“We have benefited immensely from the European Union and it is unclear at this stage how serious the effects of last night’s vote will be on jobs, trade and investment in the area.”
How did my area vote?
The EU referendum results are now in after months of relentless campaigning, furious debating and endless knife-edge polls.
As we are all now aware the country has voted to Leave the European Union but you may not yet know exactly what happened in your particular part of the region.
Our handy widget allows you check how people in your area voted.
Tusk to call first EU meeting with Cameron
The editor of Channel 4 News has claimed that Tusk will convene first EU summit WITHOUT Cameron on Wednesday.
Unhappy with Brexit?
If you’re not happy with the way the EU Referendum went, ECHO reporter Lorna Hughes has rounded up a lovely list of places you could emigrate to. Off to have a look myself..
Even the weather is annoyed with Brexit....
A ‘tornado’ appeared above Widnes this afternoon, on the day the country voted to leave the EU. Coincidence? Click here and decide for yourself...
How do I apply for an Irish passport?
Now that the UK has left the European Union some Liverpool remainers will be looking to our historic links with Ireland to see if they can get back in. Find out more here.
Harry Potter geeks
Harry Potter fans have compared the referendum result to the moment Lord Voldermort took over the magical government.
A fan account on Twitter has taken a quote from the books and given it a Brexit twist.
Liverpool's 'uncertain future' - Joe Anderson
In case you missed it earlier - Mayor Joe Anderson has said Liverpool faces an “uncertain” future after Brexit.
Mayor Anderson said he was “still shocked” by the “seismic decision” to leave the EU and called a summit of leaders to navigate the complexities of Brexit on the region.
Petition for second Referendum tops 100,000
More than 100,000 people have signed a petition calling for a change in the rules to allow a second EU referendum .
The campaigners say at least 60% of voters should have to back Leave, based on a 75% turnout, in order for Britain to break away from the EU.
Yesterday 72% of the electorate took part in the poll which the Brexit camp won with 52% of the vote. Full story here
Special on-day edition of ECHO
It has been an historic day for Britain - and today the ECHO has produced a special on-day edition to mark it.
Packed full of opinion, analysis and reaction the EU referendum special is in shops now.
Click here for details of where you can buy your paper.
Mersey business leaders issue 'don't panic' warning over Brexit
Liverpool and Sefton Chambers CEO Jenny Stewart has said a ‘clear plan’ was needed to minimise the upheaval for businesses. Full story here.
Here's where you could emigrate to
Unhappy with the result? Well, our reporter Lorna Hughes has out together a handy list of place you might just like to emigrate to now that we are heading for Brexit.
I am tempted myself just because of the photos!
Paddy Shennan: Liverpool kept its head - now WE need independence
Liverpool kept its head while all around were losing theirs.
But others have made OUR bed and now we have to lie in it.
We have been known as the Republic of Liverpool for decades – let’s now make it official.
The country narrowly voted to cut its ties with Europe, but it wasn’t a narrow vote in Liverpool, with 58% wanting to stay.
This is now a deeply-divided, insular and inward-looking nation. It can no longer grandly boast of being the UNITED Kingdom or GREAT Britain.
Little Britain more like.
Yes, politics is broken – but so is the nation.
Last week, the ECHO asked you to “think New Liverpool and vote Remain”.
And you did.
Read Paddy Shennan’s full comment here.
Merkel's Great Regret
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed “great regret” at the UK’s decision to leave the European Union but insisted the bloc was “strong enough” to find the “right answers” to the challenges it faces.
Speaking in Berlin, she said the EU had contributed to peace on the continent, but that stability could not be taken for granted in a “world of turmoil”.
“The idea of European unification was the idea of peace after centuries of horrendous bloodshed,” she said.
“The founding fathers found a way to come together and it was manifested in the Treaty of Rome almost 60 years ago. For the future, we should not take this for granted.
“We can all see that we are living in a world of turmoil.”
Mrs Merkel has invited EU president Donald Tusk, French president Francois Hollande and Italian premier Matteo Renzi to a meeting in Berlin on Monday ahead of a previously scheduled EU summit.
According to a translation of her remarks, which were delivered in German, Mrs Merkel said her country had a “specific interest and a specific responsibility” for European integration to succeed.
She said: “The European Union is strong enough in order to find the right answers to today.”
There was a “clearly designed process” for a country to leave the EU, with “many years” of negotiations, she said.
“While the negotiations take place, Great Britain remains a member of the EU. All rights and all obligations that are a result of the membership will still be in effect until the membership is totally removed.
“That remains in place for all parties.”
She added that the objective should be for co-operation and partnership with Britain to continue “as closely as possible”.
The German government’s main focus would be on the “safety” and “prosperity” of EU citizens.
She added: “The European Union is strong enough in order to find the right answers to today.”
How do I get an Irish passport?
Now that the UK has left the European Union some Liverpool remainers will be looking to our historic links with Ireland to see if they can get back in.
Being an EU citizen carries with it certain benefits which with our exit we look like losing over the next few years.
People with an EU passport are allowed to move freely and reside anywhere in the union.
They are entitled to work in any of the member states without needing a work permit.
And they get an EHIC card when they travel to Europe which can be used to access free healthcare.
So here is how you can get an Irish passport.
New landscape and a new leader
Here are the five key contenders to become the next PM after David Cameron steps down in October...
Corbyn in a tent
This picture was taken around the time David Cameron was making his speech outside Downing Street. Would be interesting to know what was going through Jeremy Corbyn’s mind at that point
That Corbyn no confidence motion
Margaret Hodge and Ann Coffey are two long-serving and respected MPs in the Parliamentary Labour Party. Both nominated Liz Kendall for the leadership last year. Figures from closer to the centre and soft left of the party may need to break cover for the plot to bring down Jeremy Corbyn to gain momentum.
The picture around Britain
Vote of no confidence for Corbyn
One of his MPs has already said he should resign, things are not looking good for the Labour leader.
A sad prediction of the future?
Liverpool comedian John Bishop seems to have struck a chord with Remain tweeters with his prediction being retweeted over 7,000 times.
St Helens North MP reacts to EU result
Conor McGinn MP statement on the EU referendum result
I respect the result of the referendum, both nationally and in St Helens. Naturally, I am disappointed with the outcome and worried about it means for our country’s future.
Our people and the country are divided. Therefore, all of us in positions of responsibility and leadership now have a duty to pull together and do what is right for the country and the people we represent.
The UK now faces a period of uncertainty and unprecedented challenge. It will affect every person, every family and every community, including here in St Helens.
My priority is continuing to work hard doing the job I love and am so proud to have, representing all of the people of St Helens North as their Member of Parliament.
What is Article 50?
So, you have heard the politicians talking about it and you know it has something to do with Brexit, but what is Article 50?
Article 50 of the 2007 Lisbon Treaty envisages a two-year negotiation to draw up a withdrawal agreement.
If no deal is reached - and any of the other 27 states block an extension of talks - the EU treaties simply cease to apply to the state in question at the end of the period, leaving it to operate under international rules set by bodies such as the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
And there’s a further catch: the final deal has to be agreed by EU leaders via a qualified majority vote, a majority in the European Parliament and by the remaining 27 national parliaments across the EU.
Anyone could block the deal if they dislike the terms given to the UK and other EU countries may be in no mood to be generous.
There is dispute as to whether Article 50 is irreversible.
Some say the wording makes it a one way street - that once you have said you will leave there is no turning back.
Others believe the UK could have the freedom, if it cannot get a decent deal, to go back to the country for a second referendum.
