Huge turnout of 72.2 per cent for EU referendum with 33.6 million voting

Barney Henderson 24 June 2016 • 2:29am

Chelsea Pensioners make their way to a Polling Station in the Royal Hospital Chelsea on the day that the British vote in a referendum on whether to leave the European Union Credit: Telegraph

Britons turned out in huge numbers to vote on their future in the European Union, with 72.2 per cent of registered voters casting their ballots in Thursday's referendum, the Electoral Commission said.

"Counting Officers have verified that a total of 33,568,184 ballot papers will be included in the count for the referendum. Based on a confirmed electorate of 46,500,001, turnout at the referendum was 72.2 percent," the watchdog said.

EU referendum: follow the results live

In 1992 - the highwater mark for participation in recent general elections - a total of 33,614,074 people went to the ballot box - 72.3 per cent. Thursday's referendum narrowly missed beating that record.

City workers carry in a ballot box for counting after the closing of polling stations on the day of the EU Referendum on June 23, 2016 in Gibraltar Credit: Getty

The highest post-war turnout was 83.9 per cent in the 1950 general election, but a smaller population meant that was only 28,771,124 votes.

In the 1975 referendum on British membership of the then European Economic Community, 25,903,194 people voted - 64.6 per cent of those eligible.

The huge turnout across the country came despite bad weather in several areas, which usually leads to fewer people going out to vote.

However, John Curtice, the polling expert, said the bad weather could have affected the turnout in London, where Remain dominated.

Boris Johnson, leader of the Leave campaign, only just made it to the polling station in the nick of time.

Mr Johnson, the former London mayor, made it to his local polling station in London with just 18 minutes to spare after his flight back from Edinburgh was delayed due to the foul weather in southeast England.

Two London polling stations were forced to close due to flooding, with parts of Britain deluged as voters chose whether the country should stay in the European Union or leave the bloc.

The two polling stations in the leafy southwestern suburb of Kingston-upon-Thames had to move due to the flooding.